I Tried Home Depot’s Mini Version of The 12-Foot-Tall “Skelly,” and It’s Perfect for My Small Yard

If you live in a cozy suburb like I do, you know the struggle: Our front yard is so tiny you can practically high-five people walking by from the window. For years, my husband and I have  watched neighbors proudly display The Home Depot’s viral 12-foot Skelly — a Halloween gem that towers over lawns, roofs, and neighborhoods alike — and thought, “There’s absolutely no way that’s fitting out front.”

This year, that changed for us. When I spotted Ultra Skelly at The Home Depot’s spring preview, I was intrigued. 

Standing at a relatively manageable 6.5 feet tall, Ultra Skelly is a new, animated, and app-controlled version of the original Skelly designed specifically for smaller yards, porches, and patios. It has all the personality of the original, just condensed — and I mean that in the best way.

The first pleasant surprise? You can assemble it solo. I put ours together in under an hour and didn’t need to call for backup (a Halloween miracle). Once plugged in, Ultra Skelly’s servo motors bring him eerily to life — his head turns, his torso and arm moves, and his jaw opens to deliver one of five preprogrammed spooky greetings.

But the real fun starts when you download the accompanying app. It’s intuitive and gives you total creative control over the show. You can record your own messages, add voice-changing effects, pick from 18 LCD “LifeEyes” options, and sync his head, mouth, and light movements to whatever message you choose. My husband has already recorded three different hilarious trick-or-treat greetings and can’t decide which one is the creepiest.

Ultra Skelly might be half the height of the original, but he’s pulling double the attention on our block. Every time his glowing eyes flicker to life or he greets a passerby, someone stops, laughs, or takes a photo.

Our front yard may be small, but Ultra Skelly makes it feel like a full-on haunted attraction. The custom messages keep the energy playful and not gory or over the top. It’s the perfect way to be festive and still a polite neighbor.

One of my biggest hesitations about buying the original Skelly besides the size was storage. Where exactly do you keep a 12-foot skeleton the other 11 months of the year? Ultra Skelly solves that problem completely. He breaks down easily, fits in a closet or basement corner, and doesn’t require a crane to assemble or disassemble.

At $279, I know that Ultra Skelly isn’t exactly a budget buy — but for serious Halloween lovers (or anyone who hosts a costume party or trick-or-treat night), I’d say it’s worth it. It’s also an investment we plan to reuse year after year.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to finally join the Skelly fandom, this is it folks. I’d say that Ultra Skelly is the perfect “starter Skelly” for anyone with limited space, and it’s already getting hard to find in stores.

With Halloween just around the corner, now’s the time to grab one before they’re gone for good this season — and to give your neighborhood something to scream about (in a good way).

Buy: Ultra Skelly with LifeEyes, $279