# Too Scary For Little Kids?



## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

I ordered a few tree faces, the scariest of which I want to put in a front yard tree. They just shipped and I'm really excited. The one in question is this one: http://www.designtoscano.com/product/code/DB383031.do And if it looks as good in real life as it does in the picture, I know it would give me the heebie jeebies as soon as I noticed it walking by. But how scary is too scary? This is something I might even leave up all year round. 

I think my concern is smaller children. I don't want them to have nightmares, on the other hand, I'm more likely to reflect back on something like that and laugh, about how I was afraid to walk by the "scary tree". The other faces I ordered are more benign but I already have the perfect trees picked out for them in the back. I really want this one for the front. What are some opinions on this?


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## DexterSinister (Aug 13, 2011)

As a dad of two (one a preschooler that hates the animatronics at Spirit) and a haunter that tries to be sensitive about scaring the wee ones too much; I think it's a great tree face and would happily use it in front if I had a tree for it. If it blends well enough, I think a lot of people would miss it - or at least do a nice double-take. If the kids don't notice it, it would be on the parents to point it out. But you know your neighbors better than I - The kids I expect influence my decisions to some degree.


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

Thank you, DS. 

Yes, maybe that's it, I'll see how well it blends in first.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Should be fine. Took my 2 1/2 year-old son on a local "haunted" hayride yesterday, where they had a similar-looking tree face displayed amongst some plywood ghost and skeleton cut-outs, and he was OK with everything.

Edited to add: This is the one we saw on the hayride: http://www.orientaltrading.com/led-tree-ghost-a2-93_875-12-1.fltr?Ntt=tree+face


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## SDIX (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm a mom and am quite sensitive to the kids, and I think it looks awesome! Makes me wish I had trees at my new house.


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## EvilMel (Dec 6, 2007)

It's pretty scary! But I guess not too scary. I would love to spook some kiddos with it.


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Not scary at all


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I feel better about my decision to put it out front now. Looks like I'm the uneasy one here, I found it quite menacing!


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## Pumpkinhead625 (Oct 12, 2009)

My guess is that it may be scary at first to tiny ToTs, but it's one of those things that they would 'graduate' from. In other words, it may be scary at first, but they would easily overcome their fear, and it may even help them gain a little confidence, in that they overcame that fear. Kind of a stepping stone to darker, scarier stuff .


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## ScreamingSkull (Oct 21, 2008)

TheMyst, 
I say "NOT too scary". My own experience is that the most important part of a scene, is music/sound. Everything else builds on that.

I expect your crowd will enjoy looking at that great face, but won't be too scared.


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## Terror Tom (Nov 3, 2008)

I think it will be fine. It is a tree after all!


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## CreepyCreations (Oct 16, 2011)

Seems fine to me, too. It doesn't move or anything, it just sits there, so I think most ToTs would be cool with it. Being overly scary is something we also take into consideration. Another house does a haunt in our neighbourhood, but I think they tend to crank the gore factor up a bit more. We like to make ours fun. Think of Disney's POTC ride and turn it up a notch for Halloween. Some jumpy/startling scares, but no people reaching out to grab you or anything. Always get very positive feedback from the parents, and we get some pretty small ToTs through ours.


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

It has arrived! I immediately went out with my electric drill to set it up and .... meh. It looks like a plastic face screwed to a tree. 

It certainly looked scarier in the catalog picture. Perhaps it will wear over time and blend in a little better. Still, it's a neat little prop for Halloween.


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## snigglez (Jun 4, 2009)

themyst said:


> It has arrived! I immediately went out with my electric drill to set it up and .... meh. It looks like a plastic face screwed to a tree.
> 
> It certainly looked scarier in the catalog picture. Perhaps it will wear over time and blend in a little better. Still, it's a neat little prop for Halloween.


I'm sure it will look a lot better at night with all your decore and lights n stuff. So many time I put something up saying hrmmmm it looks a little cheap or cheesy but once it's dark n everything is up n going all ends up good......


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

One way to find out...known to me as "the fun way". How all props are tested!


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## TrickRTreater (Mar 24, 2011)

Holy crap I love that. 1000x better than the goofy, fake looking ones.


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

Maybe I was too quick to judge - I went out this morning and the Nottingham (that I put in the back yard) looks pretty good! Blends in with the tree fairly well:









But the one in the front yard doesn't blend in well at all. Oh well, maybe it will age with a little weathering.


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## NOWHINING (Jul 25, 2009)

I think its great and I would love to have one. I have four different kinds on my front house.


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## PoCoHauntGal (Sep 2, 2010)

That tree face is awesome!

I'd love that in my garden all year round - if only I had a tree trunk big enough for it.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

themyst said:


> But the one in the front yard doesn't blend in well at all. Oh well, maybe it will age with a little weathering.
> 
> View attachment 133216


The Poison Oak tree face looks much more greenish in your photo than it does in the pic from the Design Toscano website?


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

Saruman of Many Colours said:


> The Poison Oak tree face looks much more greenish in your photo than it does in the pic from the Design Toscano website?


Yes, it is very greenish. In addition to just wanting it out front in the first place for a scary Halloween decoration, I also chose that tree because it had some green algae on it and thought the mask might fit in better. But yes, the colors are very different from the catalog pic to the actual mask.  

I'll try to get a close up of it.

ETA: Here's a close up:


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## ondeko (Oct 14, 2008)

themyst said:


> Yes, it is very greenish. In addition to just wanting it out front in the first place for a scary Halloween decoration, I also chose that tree because it had some green algae on it and thought the mask might fit in better. But yes, the colors are very different from the catalog pic to the actual mask.
> 
> I'll try to get a close up of it.
> 
> ...


It looks like it would be easy enough to repaint the face to match the tree more closely. The catalog pic had a much darker tree trunk, too. It could be as simple as dry brushing some gray/brown over it. PM Terra and ask for her opinion on how to reapint it if you decide to go that route.


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

I don't even know why I hadn't considered that. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 8, 2006)

Yeah I'd definitely try painting over that to match the tree more closely.


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## snigglez (Jun 4, 2009)

PoCoHauntGal said:


> That tree face is awesome!
> 
> I'd love that in my garden all year round - if only I had a tree trunk big enough for it.
> 
> View attachment 133231


IF only I HAD A TREE... No trees on my property. when I was young my dad took down a huge tree in our backyard and a smaller one that would be huge by now in the front yard. I always wanted a tree in both places....


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## CreepyCreations (Oct 16, 2011)

Those faces definitely seem to match trees with the thicker, striped bark better. Nothing that big in our yard for a few decades yet! LOL


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## themyst (Sep 4, 2012)

CreepyCreations said:


> Those faces definitely seem to match trees with the thicker, striped bark better.


Agreed! The Nottingham face in my backyard is blending in nicely - my DH is a former infantryman and he's very good at noticing things out of the corner of his eye - but he's walked past this face about ten times now and hasn't noticed it! When he finally does, I'll have him help me with the paint matching on the front tree face because I'm pretty bad at that.


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