Haiku of the Week

The theme this month is Halloween Memories.

orange maple leaves
lights dancing on a string
jack-o’-lantern pie

Monthly Haiku Corner – September

Five days into September and it certaintly doesn’t feel like Fall’s right around the corner. Heatwave aside, the official Halloween season has begun. Now is the time when human creativity and inspiration is at its highest. Our memories are crucial to this process. We steer far away from bad memories, but good memories will drive every inch of our being to replicate and it’s here that we find our inner child flourishing and building the foundation that the soul rests upon. Our theme this month is Halloween Memories. Halloween season is a time for making new memories, as much as it is about revisiting the joy of old ones. Have a magical season, everyone!

fallen leaves
trunk full of memories
October dreams

Haiku of the Week

It’s been a long, hot summer, but we’re three days away from the ‘Ber months and the official start of the Halloween season. The theme in August has been Witch’s Halloween Spellbook. Hopefully, we’ve all had a chance to cast our spells for everyone to have a blessed, joyous, and safe Halloween season.

mortar and pestle
a spell for October nights
summer’s end in sight

Haiku of the Week

The theme this month is a Witch’s Halloween Spellbook.

mystical verses
intentions must be clear
the book of the dead

Monthly Haiku Corner – August

Happy August! 30 days til the ‘Ber months and then, the real fun starts! I just returned from a great weekend at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, where the Halloween spirit was alive and well! Stay tuned for my mini review and pics.

Here at Halloween Horror Haiku, we celebrate all things spooky every day, but this is the time of year where Halloween takes front and center. With that said, the theme this month is Witch’s Halloween Spellbook. Do witches truly have a spell for a great Halloween? I believe they do.

tattered book binding
witches Halloween spellbook
unlock the pages

Monthly Haiku Corner – June

Three things remind me of June, cherries, delicious bit size fruit, great for milkshakes and pie; camping, which is not my cup of tea, but certainly makes for great stories; and werewolves. The werewolf, a terrifying beast that hides deep in the forests, waiting for its next victim. Is this creature part of nature’s evolution or an abomination from Hell? Our theme this month is a werewolf summer.

red cherries so sweet
in the graveyard at midnight
a werewolf summer

Monthly Haiku Corner – May

Happy May! We’re halfway to Halloween. Hang in there just a few more months, my friends.

In honor of May being Cemetery Appreciation Month, this month’s theme will be cemetery life.

sunny days ahead
freshly dug forever homes
cemetery life

Monthly Haiku Corner – December

Our theme this month is December ghosts.

bells ringing
spirits are calling from beyond
December ghosts

Haiku of the Week

peppermint and blood
stake through the heart
vampire hunter

My Favorite Vintage Halloween Ads

**This was the planned post for Throwback Thursday, but real life problems kept me away from computer. Sincerest apologies.**

Let’s visit the amazing yesteryears of Vintage Halloween advertising.

Jell-O Vintage ad circa 1920s

Jell-O has been around for a long time and was big into promoting its brand during the holidays. This is one of my favorites because it includes this awesome Hallowe’en poem.

Colgate ad circa 1920s

Another favorite from Colgate because of the Hallowe’en poem. Note the use of the old spelling of Hallowe’en, which dropped the apostrophe over the years.

Edison Phonograph ad circa 1920s

“No amusement of modern times equals it.” If makers only knew how successful their product would be. Phonographs were instrumental in helping Halloween become one of the biggest holidays in American history,, if for no more reason than their popularity at parties.

These ads reflect the dark orange and black style, which was popular back in the 1930-1940s.

Curtiss Candy Company owned Baby Ruth and Butterfinger among many others, when it was bought out by Standard in 1964, who later merged with Nabisco in 1981. Nabisco then sold off Curtiss brands to Nestlé in the 1990.

Brach’s has been making candy since 1904. They’re most famous for Candy Corn, but once upon a time, Brach’s was the go-to candy store for Halloween goodies. Their ads were simply amazingly drool-worthy, appealing to both adults and kids. Look at all that candy!

Speaking of adults, with Halloween parties all the rage well into the 1950s, beer makers made some nifty ads for Halloween.

During the 1950s, some ads featured lots of graphics and were quite wordy. What some may consider serious advertising fails today, make for some awesome vintage Halloween ads.

Crayola ad circa 1950s
Scotch Tape ad circa 1950s
7-Minit Fluffy Frosting ad circa 1950s

7-Minit was owned by 6 O’Clock Foods, Inc. and that’s about the only history we know about either.

More random vintage Halloween candy ads circa 1940s-1960s

It’s always been fashionable to make punch bowls outta pumpkins!

Sunkist Fruit Punch Halloween ads circa 1960s

Back in the day, people could trust drinking and eating right there on the front porch.

Kool Aid Halloween ad circa 1964

Okay, I’ll admit, I only love this ad because of the Headless Horseman. Is this too scary for advertising? Some might think so. People don’t like reminders of violence and disembodied heads is about as gruesome as it gets. Absolutely my favorite! BWAHAHAHAHA….

M&Ms Pumpkin Patch Mix candy ad circa 2007

Happy Halloween!