I finally got my hands on The Home Depot's viral 12-foot skeleton, and now my house is a local attraction

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Halloween is my family's Christmas, Super Bowl, and Gathering of the Juggalos all rolled into one. I've wanted Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton since it first was a thing. In the past, I've settled for a fun assortment of smaller skeletons. This year, I needed the real deal. Below are my experiences with "MaSkully Skullkin" and how it's made my yard a local attraction.

For more decor ideas, check out our best halloween decorations guide.

Step one: Get your hands on Skelly

The 12-foot skeleton, affectionately known as "Skelly" for short, is pricy at about $299, but even if you can afford it, it's often out of stock due to its popularity. My local Home Depot didn't have any of the skeletons in the giant Skelly family that now includes a 13-foot Jack Skellington, 7-foot Skelly's Dog, and 12-foot Levitating Reaper among others.

Fortunately, Skelly is sometimes available on The Home Depot's website and delivery is free. I relied on my PR contact at The Home Depot to get a review unit to test. (See our "alternatives" section below if you can't get your hands on the 12-foot skeleton.)

Skelly arrived in a big truck

The 12-foot skeleton didn't just arrive via the classic FedEx or UPS. Instead, a local delivery company called me the day before to make sure I'd be around during the delivery window. They told me they'd bring it between 9 am and 1 pm, though they were about half an hour late.

Skelly and his dog arrived in a large box truck and were wheeled to the base of my porch on a pallet jack. I had to sign several places, and the delivery folks took about a dozen photos before I was free to marvel at my new Halloween decorations. I was surprised by the heavy-duty delivery considering I get mattresses delivered all the time, and they're just tossed on my porch without even ringing the doorbell. The Skelly in the box weighs about 85 pounds. The pooch was under 30. Since I live in a high-theft area and couldn't set them up right away, I dragged the bulky boxes inside.

The setup took about 45 minutes

Overall, the setup took a little over 45 minutes, and I did most of it on my own, though the instructions say to have two to three people. Before starting the assembly, I organized all the pieces to make sure they were all there. There are a lot of them, lettered A through V. Organizing them took me about 10 minutes. The instructions come in paper form, in an app, and printed on the box flaps. I chose to follow the box flap instructions, which were spot on. I tend to hit snags whenever I follow directions, but that wasn't the case assembling Skelly.

The setup process was pretty simple. My 10-year-old son helped me lift Skelly's upper body so I could attach the bracing cable and put it upright when I was done. My wife helped me position the upright skeleton perfectly. I liked that I could put the arms in various positions. I decided on a menacing wave with one arm.

The only tool I needed to set up Skelly was a screwdriver to remove the battery cover. It doesn't come with batteries, so you'll need to buy four C batteries or plug in the AC adapter. I went the battery route, and they only lasted 48 hours before the eyes just started blinking to indicate low battery. The battery compartment is easily accessible under the pelvic bone.

If you love interactive instructions, download the BILT app (iOS and Android). While I didn't use it, I did look at the 12-food skeleton on there, and the directions seemed more useful since each step features a 3D illustration you can rotate and zoom in on.

Secure and name your Skelly

A narrow object that goes 12 feet straight up into the air will want to fall over. This was especially true when I set it up on a windy day. Fortunately, it comes with four extension poles that attach to the base and four stakes that go about 6 inches in the ground. These should keep it stable enough, but you can also add sandbags or weights to the base. My wife spread a 40-pound bag of black mulch over the base which weighed it down and helped with the aesthetics.

While securing the skeleton was hard, coming up with a name was harder. You gotta give your Skelly a cute, original name, preferably one with a relevant pun. I agonized over it for days with my editors and family. Skelly Ripa was floated. Skelloncé was another good one. But, in the end, I had to go with MaSkully Skullkin. I don't have any particular affinity for the Home Alone star. I just loved how over-the-top the name is and how it has the double pun. If you get stuck, AI has some helpful ideas.

The payoff

The moment we had MaSkully upright, a 5-year-old walked by with his mother. The kid stopped and just stared at the skeleton in wonder. He loved it.

The LCD eyes light up and seem to follow you, which is an impressive touch. I wanted to get a photo of it at night, so once the sun set, I went out to my front yard. I was surprised to find someone out there already taking a photo. He didn't notice that I came out of the house and assumed I was another passerby. "You had the same idea as me," he said. "I had to take a photo. I love this."

We've had MaSkully Skullkin up for a week now, and we continue to catch folks enjoying it.

Cons to consider

You might want to wear protective gloves while assembling Skelly. Some of the plastic pieces have sharp edges, and I cut my delicate writer's fingers on them. I had to put a Toy Story Band-Aid on the cut to stop the bleeding. The directions also feature a warning that the cable could cut you, but it left me unscathed.

While it's quite cumbersome, someone might try to steal your 12-foot skeleton, which only weighs about 60 pounds. Since we've had Halloween decorations stolen in the past, I decided to lock up this $300 statement piece. I simply put a bike lock around the femur and attached it to my son's lemonade stand.

12-foot skeleton alternatives

Thanks to its popularity, the Skelly is often out of stock. Fortunately, The Home Depot offers a variety of similarly sized Halloween decorations. The most popular one is the 13-foot Jack Skellington, which is $100 more than Skelly but speaks, lights up, and moves. The 12-foot Inferno Pumpkin Skeleton is also popular. It's $379 and has the same eye effects as Skelly.

The Home Depot sells Skelly's Dog, which is 7 feet long from the tail tip to the nose and features the same eye effects as Skelly. I received a review unit to test, but it was missing its fasteners, so I couldn't test it. I will update this article once I can give it a fair shake.

My search for alternatives from other retailers was fruitless. Amazon has several tall skeletons, but they max out at 10 feet tall. The Home Depot's Home Accents Holiday brand appears to have cornered the market for now.

The bottom line

Is Skelly worth the $300 price tag? I'd say yes if you want your holiday decorations to truly stand out. The 12-foot skeleton has become a landmark in my neighborhood. We get a lot of foot track by our house, and it brings a smile to people's faces. My son loves playing outside around it. With all the accessories available, I look forward to keeping MaSkully up year-round.