Skelly's back! This time, the new and improved Skelly is joined by his faithful 7-foot long canine companion, Skelly's Dog, plus several other giant Home Depot animatronics.
The good news is, Skelly's $299 price tag (for 4 years in a row) shows inflation hasn't caught up with the 12-foot skeleton. But, Skelly and other Home Depot Halloween decor tend to sell out well before they go on sale.
That means you're gonna need some Home Depot hacks to help you save on Skelly before he's gone again. To help we put together a list of all the ways you can save on Skelly and crew now.
Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app and favorite “Home Depot” for the latest deals and shopping tips.
New Home Depot Halloween Animatronics in 2024
On July 18, Home Depot dropped their 2024 Halloween lineup. This year, you can get seven new animatronics, along with the improved 12-foot Home Depot skeleton. Here's a look at some of the new products to grab online before they sell out:
12-Foot Giant Sized Skelly
A new and improved Home Depot Skelly is here for 2024! The updated skeleton has eight new swappable settings in its LCD eyes, and he’s selling for the same price of $299.
12-Foot Servo Skelly
For an extra $80, this guy can move his head.
Skelly Accessories
Home Depot Animatronics
Skelly's 5-Foot Dog
Skelly has a new loyal pal, aka this 5-foot Skeleton Dog with eight LCD settings and a poseable mouth.
7-Foot Animated LED Frankenstein's Monster
Home Depot’s brand new animated Frankenstein's monster is fully licensed from Universal and has built-in servo motors for lifelike movements. He also speaks iconic lines from the Frankenstein movie.
12.5-Foot Inferno Deadwood Skeleton
This new larger-than-life animatronic is shaped like Skelly, but with a tree-bark texture and a fiery skull. He features a sinister grin and color-changing lights inside his ribcage.
13-Foot Jack Skellington
If you're a Nightmare Before Christmas fan, check out Jack Skellington. He actually towers over Skelly by a foot!
5-Foot LED Ultra Pose-n-Stay Skeleton, 3-Pack
Spread the love of Skelly with Home Depot’s new Halloween multi-pack. It comes with three five-foot skeletons you can easily move and pose in creatively creepy ways.
Smaller Home Depot animatronics work great if you have limited space.
If you live in an apartment or have a small space, go with the smaller five-foot versions of Skelly instead.
Home Depot dropped a new 3-foot-tall Skelly for $39.98 in 2024.
Still — you’ll get three feet of skeleton for about an 1/8 of the price of life-size Skelly ($299) with the new mini Skelly.
Cheaper Skelly Alternatives
If you just can't rationalize paying $299 for Skelly, we've found a few cheaper (and shorter) alternatives at Joann and Walmart.
Kohl's
Right now, you can scoop up a 10-foot poseable Skelly lookalike, complete with light up eyes. He is, however, two feet shorter than the big guy! But, when you're saving $115, what's two feet?
Joann
This Skelly lookalike is on sale, making it $100 cheaper than the original Skelly. Plus, you get free shipping (over $75+)
Walmart
These two cheaper Skelly alternatives can save you about $150 over the original Skelly and Skelly's dog.
Party City
Although this guy from Party City is a buck more than the original Skelly, it's almost $180 less than the new Servo Skelly. That, and because he looks cool coming out of the ground, is why we included him.
How to Save on Skelly
If you’re not ready to shell out $299 for Skelly, we hear you. Here are a few ways you can save some bucks on the viral Skelly:
Skip shipping.
Shipping on Skelly is not included in his $299 price tag and will vary depending on your location. The lowest shipping cost we've seen is $25. So if you want to save on Skelly, opt for free store pickup. But make sure you bring a car that can handle Skelly's packaging, which is 41"x44"x29" and weighs about 93 pounds, of which 60 pounds is Skelly.
Select free delivery for your Skelly or Halloween animatronics.
Home Depot may offer free delivery on Skelly and other oversized (and heavy) animatronics to your home. If available in your area, it will save you shipping costs or a trip to the store and the hassle of loading/unloading your new gigantic Halloween decoration(s).
Use the Home Depot 10% military discount.
Active military members, veterans, and their spouses can save 10% on Skelly and his friends with the Home Depot military discount. If you’re not eligible for their military discount but know someone who is, ask if they mind buying it with their HD discount and then pay them back.
Get $25+ off when you open a Home Depot Credit Card.
If you open a Home Depot credit card and use it within 30 days of account opening, you'll get a certain amount off. This is a one-time offer, and the total spend must be on one receipt. For example, if you plan on buying multiple animatronics, buy them all at the same time to receive one of these discounts. These offers are valid through Jan. 29, 2025:
$25 off when you spend up to $299
$50 off your purchase of $300 - $999
$100 off your purchase of $1,000 or more
If you have a Home Depot credit card you have six months to pay off purchases of $299 or more. Instead of coming up with $300 right away to purchase Skelly you could pay off your skeleton purchase at $45.67 a month for six months (without interest).
Pay off your purchase within six months or Skelly will end up costing you more than its original price — thanks to credit card interest!
Buy a discounted Home Depot gift card.
Buying a discount Home Depot gift card might help you save a few bucks on Skelly. Right now, you can save 3% on $300 worth of Home Depot gift cards at Raise. That’s a saving of $9.
On the other hand, if you use a Circle Card to buy a $300 Home Depot gift card at Target you can save 5% or $15.
Join Facebook Skelly fan groups to save.
Skelly has made his rounds on social media over the last few years, with several groups and fan pages dedicated to the 12-foot-tall skeleton. Members of Skelly Facebook groups often list used Halloween animatronics — including Skelly — for less. Facebook Marketplace might be another place to save. My friend found Skelly for $100 because someone in her town was moving and didn't have the storage space for it anymore.
Dress up your Home Depot Skelly year-round.
One of the best things about Skelly is you can dress him up for any holiday. With a $299 price tag, there's no reason you can't get your money's worth by keeping Skelly up year-round (if your HOA or loca ordinances allow)! At least this gives you a multi-holiday decoration and less work taking him down after just Halloween. Here are some of our favorites if you want to leave him up past Halloween:
12-foot Skeleton St. Patrick's Day Hat — $68.95 at Etsy
12-foot Skeleton Santa Hat — $45 at Etsy
12-foot Skeleton Mardi Gras Hat — $80 at Etsy
Or instead of buying Skelly costumes or accessories, you can make outfits like this Grinch costume on TikTok.
Take care of your Skelly and he'll last a lifetime.
If you're willing to shell out $299 for Skelly, you should be willing to take care of him so he lasts long enough to get your money's worth.
Home Depot recommends storing Skelly in the box when not in use. Be sure to take pictures as you take parts out for assembly so you can remember how they go back in. If your skeleton gets dirty, use a nonabrasive brush and wash it with mild soap and water. Rinse off with a garden hose. Don’t use bleach or a power washer, as both can damage the skeleton bones.
Although Skelly is water resistant, if you’re expecting windy weather, lay your Skelly on the ground.
Can I get replacement parts for my Home Depot skeleton?
Yes, if your Skelly loses a limb or other part, you can contact Home Depot for replacement parts via email at customerservice@svius.com. Be sure to include the following:
Your name and shipping address
Name of the decor
Purchase date
Store where you bought it
Model number (if you have it)
Photo or video (if you think it’ll help explain the issue)
Go with a cheaper Skelly dupe.
Here's an option if Skelly's price tag makes you quiver. Granted, these guys aren’t 12-feet-tall, but at a quarter of the price, a Skelly dupe might be just right. Per foot, these Skelly dupes cost $9.40 - $15.38 versus Skelly’s $24.92.
Amazon: Life-Size Poseable Skeleton, 5 ft, $46.99
Wayfair: Pose-N-Stay Skeleton, 5 ft 2 in, $79.99
Home Depot Halloween Animatronics FAQs
Can I preorder Home Depot animatronics like Skelly?
Sorry, Home Depot doesn’t offer preorders for their Halloween animatronics, including the 12-foot Skeleton.
Can I order Home Depot animatronics online?
Yes. When in stock, Skelly and other Home Depot animatronics are available for various delivery options, including store pickup and shipping.
Be aware that the boxes for animatronics are large and very heavy. For example, Skelly comes in a box that is 41″ x 44″ x 29″ and weighs about 93 pounds, of which 60 pounds is Skelly.
What if the animatronic I want is out of stock?
Be sure to sign up to get an email alert for any of the gigantic creatures you want to grab as soon as they’re in stock. Unfortunately, since these items sell out so fast, we’ve heard the alert may not get to you until after they’re out of stock again. Just in case, we’ve got a few other options.
Can you return Halloween animatronics to Home Depot?
Yes. According to Home Depot’s return policy, you can return Halloween animatronics within 90 days. But always check the return date on the product page before you buy to confirm.
How to store Skelly or other animatronics to keep them like new?
Of course, storing your animatronics in their box is an excellent way to protect them when not on display. However, if you need a different storage solution for large animatronics, you can buy a storage bag for them.
Home Depot’s large animatronics storage bag is $39.98, or you can grab a heavy-duty tree storage bag on Amazon for $19.99.
Tell us what you think