19 funny skeleton poses to try this Halloween

Cater a picnic for the graveyard shift. Dolled up for their outing in hats, scarf and tie, our perpetual picnickers are propped up with rebar stakes pushed into the ground. Spread a blanket, and top it with a woven basket, faux fruit, and a thermos. Weight the thermos with pebbles inside, and use ground stakes to hold the blanket in place. if you want this sociable group to hang around, use weather-resistant props.

These guys don’t need to worry about broken bones as they caper from porch to rooftop. Easy to pose and secure with nearly invisible fishing line, the plastic skeletons can withstand the weather and hang out for the entire season. How you hang or pose your figures will depend on what types of skeletons you have. Be prepared to improvise!

Some hostesses love handing out treats so much that they can’t give it up — even after they’ve passed on. This skeleton on a stand makes a spirited first impression at the front door. Her posable arms provide the brace for a sweet-laden tray hot-glued to her hands. Dressed in a skirt, apron, and pearls, she’s ready to greet guests.

Caught climbing trees and burrowing in the leaf pile, these scampering skeletons prove you’re never too old for pranks. A variety of skeleton types are available online — some pose, some stand, some bend. Choose the type that meets your needs. These bad boys are basic plastic articulated figures secured in place with lashings of fishing line to wreak merry mayhem.

Create the petrified poses of croquet-playing skeletons by using fishing line to tie them to a long stake pushed into the ground. Tie the croquet mallet to the skeleton with fishing line. Kicked back with a cool glass of lemonade, the jointed old duffer watching from the lawn chair is simply propped in place.

It looks as if these chaps may have been waiting too long for their dates to arrive! Dressed in simple finery with top hats, silky bow ties, and red carnations in their erstwhile buttonholes, the eerie ensemble of skeletal swains has more impact than a single figure would. It’s a snap to prop up our ethereal escorts with lengths of rebar pushed through their rib cages and into the ground.

These skeletons love to cosy up with a haunting tale like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” To create a scare- worthy book collection, cover cardboard forms with book-cover images found online.

This punk rock music is so loud it might wake the dead! Sporting wild wigs and instruments bought for a song online, “The Fracture” is determined to get Halloween off to a rockin’ good start.

Rub-a-dub-dub in a skeleton-size tub. Who doesn’t enjoy a good soak? Galvanized tubs serve as bathtubs, while Christmas tree garland and glass ball ornaments form the bubbles. A bubble machine placed behind the tub adds a final flourish: real bubbles!

Every artist needs a good muse. This bony model inspired a Picasso-esque painting that celebrates the skeletal form with bold lines, dark colors, and grimacing teeth.

A lot of voltage is required to mix up Mrs. Skeleton’s gooey worm batter, so Mr. Skeleton is happy to help out. After all, he has no need to be afraid of the electric chair—he’s already a goner! Looks like their dog Fang hopes to get a treat, too!

Celebrate the classic ’80s movie E.T. with this fun vignette. The skeletons and bike are hung with monofilament, while painted cardboard cut-outs form the trees and moon.

Mr. and Mrs. Skeleton are in for the ride of their afterlife when they take on these rapids created with a blue drop cloth and waves of spray-foam insulation.

Uh-oh! The X-ray technician is in for a surprise when he tries to scan this patient. To create this scene, manipulate an image from online to make an X-ray that shows the skeleton fully clothed. Painted PVC piping holds up the foam-core board and wooden frame. Glass jars wrapped with images of “cotton candy balls” and “Popsicle sticks” complete this crazy doctor’s office.

Looks like decorating didn’t go to plan for these skeletons… but it can go to plan for you. To make this deliberate disaster, hang a large spider web from the roof with a spider and skeleton wrapped in web. Add another skeleton behind to create a sense of chaos and enlist the kids to make a mess on the porch. Halloween fun for all!

No camping trip is complete without a warm fire for toasting marshmallows. Red and yellow crepe-paper streamers attached to a box fan form the flickering flames.

Clawing its way toward freedom, this skeleton is not yet fully departed. Tuck skeleton parts under a large flat stone propped up on bricks. Fill in any gaps with leaves and sticks to blend the terrifying tableau into the landscape.

This old soul has been waiting a frightfully long time for room service. Create a comfortable spot for neighbourhood spirits to rest using secondhand furniture and accessories arranged to look like a bare-bones hotel room.

Caught in the act! Escaping skeletons are sure to spark goosebumps for passersby— and scare a few trick-or-treaters, too. Pose this bony pair as if they’re scrambling over a wall, then sit back and watch the fun. The stakes that secure this bony pair are hidden behind the wall. 

This sturdy posable skeleton is made from a thick plastic material so it will withstand all kinds of weather, while the hinged joints allow full movement so you can create a hilarious pose.

Sizes: 170cm height