In Whatcom, the Boneheads are putting on a scary good show each day through Halloween
There’s decorating your yard for Halloween and then there’s what Stefani Colglazier has been doing with the Bonehead family.
For nearly every day in October, she has transformed a trio of skeletons — two people and their little dog, too — into displays that have ranged from whimsical to spooky, to the delight of people on social media and others walking or driving by her house in the Myers Estates in Ferndale.
Colglazier said it’s been fun working with her husband Joey to brainstorm ideas and to put the skeletons — Mr. and Mrs. Bonehead and their dog Fluffy, who has some long canines — into new situations each day.
“It cracks us up moving the skeletons (and) making their surprised face,” the 36-year-old Colglazier said to The Bellingham Herald.
This is her first year of creating the ever-changing displays.
But she’s been thinking, planning and gathering props since last Halloween.
They’re based on shows she likes to watch — “Dexter” and “Stranger Things” — and things she likes to do, play video games such as Mario Bros.
And it’s all working toward the finale on Halloween, which will dip into childhood memories with a display of the great pumpkin with Charlie Brown. It will include Snoopy’s dog house and the skeletons as Linus and Sally in the pumpkin patch.
That should amuse the roughly 125 trick-or-treaters the Colglaziers expect at their home, as well as fans of her daily creations.
Those fans include Delores Davies, who has been greeted by the displays during her daily walk from her neighborhood nearby.
“I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed Halloween so much,” Davies said to The Bellingham Herald. “I really do look forward to every morning.”
Here’s what Davies said she’s seen of this skeleton crew in October:
▪ “They were playing checkers ... and having a good time. Very funny.”
▪ ”One day it was yoga mats with one skeleton in a downward-dog position and the other beginning to push up. A little dog skeleton was sitting on top of an exercise ball.”
▪ ”Another day the two skeletons were sitting on a bench, about to lock lips, with a sign saying, ‘Kiss of Death.’ The little dog had a flower in its mouth. “
▪ ”Another time one skeleton was wrapped in a huge spider’s web and the other (was) trying to crawl away with a large spider on it.”
▪ ”... The skeletons were chefs, complete with toques, jackets and holding spoons behind a prep table. And there was a sign with ‘Today’s Menu: Spareribs, Bone-in Chops, Ghoulash and Lady Fingers.’ ”
▪ ”... One of the skeletons was Dexter, holding a knife over the other skeleton who is laying on a table, with plenty of black plastic bags around.” Fluffy had a plastic bag in its mouth.
Dexter is the lead character in a TV series of the same name. He’s a serial killer who only goes after bad people.
Decorations on Instagram
Colglazier, a former chef and current fan of decorating her home for the holidays, has posted photos of her creations on Facebook and Instagram (chefani_colglazier), along with captions that are boo-rifically punny.
▪ “Mr. Bonehead is patiently waiting for Mrs. Bonehead to make her first move,” reads the caption for the checkers game.
▪ ”Boneheads take their yoga pretty seriously! They find nothing humerus,” reads the caption for the yoga scene.
▪ For the chefs, simply: “Bone appetit!”
▪ With the spider web, “Boneheads had some Sunday errands to run, but they got all hung up this morning.”
▪ For one with the skeletons sitting in chairs with candy and popcorn on their, er, laps: “Mr. and Mrs. Bonehead want to stay up and watch scary movies, but they aren’t sure if they have the guts for it!”
The changing themes have gotten the attention of others passing by the home north of West Smith Road.
“I have seen cars slow down, some even stop, and all drive away with a smile on their face,” Davies said to The Bellingham Herald.
“Sometimes I laugh out loud, always feeling happier than moments earlier,” Davies said. “ It truly makes my day and I look forward to the next. I marvel at the creativity and the time and dedication in making this happen every day.”
Well, almost every day.
The display of the Boneheads shopping — “Shop until you drop ... dead! It’s Black Friday somewhere!” the caption reads — was up for two days because the Colglaziers’ young daughter was ill.
As for the girl’s favorite, that’s the dog because it’s smaller, Stefani Colglazier said.
A number of days remain before Halloween this year, but she’s thinking ahead.
“I already have a bunch of ideas for next year,” Colglazier said.
