# Unusual things you've used for props



## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

If you're like most of us this year, money is tight and you really have to get the most bang for your buck when making your props this year. What odd thing have you used or will use this year in building a prop?

I'm all about recycling this year. I've gone around and collected wine bottles, baby food jars, and any other type of glass I could use for potions. I've used old comforters for cushioning and stuffing. And I now have a very large garbage bag of stuffing sitting on my front porch from my dad ripping apart a recliner. I have added some water to my acrylic paints to make them go further. There's so much more. So what about you?


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm checking CraigsList a lot more these days, and it's paying off. I've collected free styrofoam, free plexiglass, and some free house paint.

As far as unusual props, I don't really know what "usual" props would be!?

I'm using just about everything I can find, from branches and vines, to free stuff at garage sales.


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

I don't have much of anything to offer off the top of my head, except I did re-purpose my daughter's old doll house and turned it into a haunted house.
I'm interested to see other's responses; this should be a good thread!


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## Nevarstar (Oct 23, 2006)

I am planning to use quite a few of the cardboard boxes I get every month now. I have plenty to share if anyone in the DFW area of Texas wants them. (My mom gets about 30 a month because she does home dialysis) 

I have several old sheets I am planning at some point to use in monster mud projects. 

I have learned to save the Styrofoam from any packing I get. I have also learned to keep a box full of old newpapers, not too many though, for paper mache or temporary stuffing. And I keep old boots or high tops for dead bodies or monsters.

Old panty hose also.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Witch Hazel, built in 2006 before I discovered the whole concept of "Halloween prop building" was made from an artist's easel (for her body) with a 1x2 cross piece for her shoulders. Her head is a milk jug with paper maché. I thought I was so cool for making a whole figure! 

She still is made from all of that. I refuse to update her other than checking her paint job.


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## Gothikren (Aug 17, 2008)

I would never have guessed she was made out of a milk jug paper mache


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## Haunty (May 31, 2006)

Money has always been tight with my haunt building.
Which is a blessing in disguise really, because it forces me to be more creative. We have "Clean up Days" in our area twice a year. I've filled up the pickup countless times with: scrap wood, old wooden doors, broken mirrors, styrofoam, exterior light fixtures, chandeliers. I hung quart sized mason jars from trees lit by tea lights. Oops paint goes a long way for the dollar. So does using a long narrow pallet for a draw bridge. (just had to add railings, plastic chain, & orange lighting below it)


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Frankie's Girl said:


> Witch Hazel, built in 2006 before I discovered the whole concept of "Halloween prop building" was made from an artist's easel (for her body) with a 1x2 cross piece for her shoulders. Her head is a milk jug with paper maché. I thought I was so cool for making a whole figure!
> 
> She still is made from all of that. I refuse to update her other than checking her paint job.



Is that a large flower pot for the cauldron?


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Dragonomine said:


> Is that a large flower pot for the cauldron?


Yes. I forgot about that too...


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## Elza (Jun 21, 2004)

I've use pole lamps and guitar stands...The guitar stand was my witch. Styrofoam head, rubber mask and a witch halloween costume. I stuffed black panty hose and slid the legs into the sleeves of costume for arms and stuff gloves for hands, top with wig, hat and pumpkin eyes behind the mask and instant witch. 

I took the pool lamp, removed the glass shade, took cardbard and made a frame for shoulders, took a styrofoam head, more blinking pumpkin eyes, a ghouls costume, skeleton gloves and mounted it all on top of the pole lamp. Then I took one the those Halloween door mats that scream when you step on them, rolled it up and put it in the sleeve of the ghoul costume. taped a voice changer inside next to the mat speaker and set to monster. Cheap animated prop. Every time a party guess would touch it, it screamed at them!

Pictures of the witch and ghoul are in my forum photo album (2006 party).

I use anything I can find!


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## GrahamWellington (Jul 1, 2009)

A pork chop covered in maggots, inside a terrarium...


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## Gothikren (Aug 17, 2008)

ewwwwwww........  bet that got a lot of attention


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## GrahamWellington (Jul 1, 2009)

Yes, the terrorarium (note the spelling) was the centerpiece on the kitchen table for a while!


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

GrahamWellington said:


> Yes, the terrorarium (note the spelling) was the centerpiece on the kitchen table for a while!


Oh that's funny (the pun not the icky porkchop)!

That's real _dead-ication_ to a horror theme.


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## partsman (Oct 18, 2007)

I've always been a scrounge so I've used washing machine parts, guitar strings storm door springs, window sash weights ect.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

And don't forget the magical wonder we call fishing line!


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

I found a dead hawk in my yard yesterday and mentioned to my husband that I would love his feathers to cover my plastic owl...he thought that was too sick 
Today my halloween buddy saw the hawk and said "Save me those talons...that will be cool for a prop!!!"...LOL!


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## creepyhomemaker (May 10, 2008)

*"Human Flesh"*

Well I don't know if the item is weird but the way I used it was clever if I do say so myself. Someone left a dried/cured/whatever deer skin in one of my houses and I was wanting to make it into a piece of human flesh so I flipped it over to show the back instead of the hairy side. Deer skin has different colors on the back so I took a sharpie and outlined like say a large dark section and I drew in fake stitches. I let the natural color variation determine where my pieces were "joined" When I was done with that I painted the whole thing with fake blood. The deer hide absorbed the fake blood beautifully and the way the colors were different they absorbed it differently. It ended up looking perfect. The dark sections look like they were just ripped off someone while some of the other "pieces" looked like they might have been taken a while back. My son said it makes him sick to look at it because for some reason parts look like they have a little muscle still attached. I was going to post pictures the other day. I'll get on it today.


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## BevAnn (Aug 7, 2007)

It's funny you started this thread....cuz just Sunday, I was driving to pick up my son at my moms house. I happen to look over at a house as I pass by, and out in their yard, under a tree, they have one of those rattan swing seat things...that look like a half an egg. And it looked old and maybe almost rotting. I probably wouldn't sit in it, it might fall! LOL

Anyway, I immediately picture this, hanging in from the ceiling in my witches kitchen, the back part to the front, with a skeleton in it, looking through the openings - like it was a cage. LOL I really wanted to stop and ask if they'd sell it to me!! LOL

I can see it now - *knock knock* Yes? Um, hi, my name is Bev, and I was wondering, do you really like that swingy thing under your tree? I could really use it in my Halloween party. Would you sell it to me??

LMAO


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## Junit (Sep 1, 2008)

I've scrounged, but I don't think for anything as really strange or unusual. Old bottles, reusing old pvc or pipe, saving glass jars and old torn clothing. 
Lol funny stories guys!


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## Evil Bob (Sep 10, 2004)

The perch for my skeletal parrot, Pollygone is actually an antique toilet paper roll holder.

View attachment 5777




Dragonomine said:


> If you're like most of us this year, money is tight and you really have to get the most bang for your buck when making your props this year. What odd thing have you used or will use this year in building a prop?


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## wickedwitchwest (Jun 11, 2009)

The normal reusing of old bottles, wire, wood, pvc, cardboard, clothes, & newspaper. The unusual things would be big pulley for ships wheel, pallet for a bridge, suspended ceiling tiles for walls and doors, melted coke bottles and christmas lights to make lava for the devil's den and a plastic comforter bag cut up & painted to make small stained glass windows for a church.


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## creepyhomemaker (May 10, 2008)

Evil Bob said:


> The perch for my skeletal parrot, Pollygone is actually an antique toilet paper roll holder.
> 
> View attachment 5777


I love Pollygone's perch. It's so fancy. I would have never noticed it's intended use.


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## GrahamWellington (Jul 1, 2009)

Frankie's Girl said:


> Oh that's funny (the pun not the icky porkchop)!
> 
> That's real _dead-ication_ to a horror theme.


Thanks!


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## GrahamWellington (Jul 1, 2009)

Evil Bob said:


> The perch for my skeletal parrot, Pollygone is actually an antique toilet paper roll holder.
> 
> View attachment 5777


The skeletal parrot is pretty cool! Very clever!


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

Hallow! I have used balloons filled with air to stuff shirts and pants before stuffing hay around the legs, arms and necks. They took care of filling up the clothing nicely, when I couldn't even get foam or old blankets. I even salvaged some very large science-type weather balloons from a fundraising event held for our ballet company. They were filled with helium and barely fit in the mini van to get them home - but they lasted for days. I set them up in the front yard in front of the windows so they would sway in the breeze as the Trick or Treaters would walk up to the door. But the best thing we have used as a prop was -- my hubby's 89 year old Dad! In 2002, he was willing to dress in a gorilla costume and sit perfectly still on the front porch until... kids would have already passed him first to get the treats so they thought he was a stuffed gorilla. As they turned to leave the door - up he would spring up. His growl was too real! He was such a good sport - we know it was hot in that furry costume. But he never complained and loved every minute. He passed away the next year- but kids still ask if the Gorilla is coming back... Sometimes people make the most lovable and memorable additions to your haunted house, ya know? Anyway .... BOO!


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## Deathtouch (Nov 19, 2004)

I am going to say FLIP FLOPS.


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## cbonz2002 (Jun 23, 2009)

This is a great thread! Let's hope were all around at 89 to still enjoy Halloween and want to act in the display. I reuse anything I can get my hands on. I have got all kinds of things from Craigslist in there free section. I have recycled pvc, shipping foam, motors from dead washing machines or dishwashers, old lamps, pallets, swim noodlesand old toys. Every time I am at a garage sale I look for some thing I can use for Halloween or Halloween props.


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## ChrisW (Sep 19, 2006)

I agree, this helps get the imaginative juices flowing.
We used 4 X 8 cardboard sheets for the walls in our garage haunt.
I used a simple slat bed frame as a counter for our "Die-ner", and the next year painted it silver and black and used it as a backdrop for our Gemmy Halloween Monster. THere were bands around the monster (ala Frankenstein on the table) made from leftover black plastic garden edging.
I visited an OLD TV repair shop and asked if he had any electronics that he wanted to get rid of - I lugged out 3 large boxes of stuff, from TV innards and circuit boards to tubes and dials. USed it as set dressing.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

BevAnn said:


> It's funny you started this thread....cuz just Sunday, I was driving to pick up my son at my moms house. I happen to look over at a house as I pass by, and out in their yard, under a tree, they have one of those rattan swing seat things...that look like a half an egg. And it looked old and maybe almost rotting. I probably wouldn't sit in it, it might fall! LOL
> 
> Anyway, I immediately picture this, hanging in from the ceiling in my witches kitchen, the back part to the front, with a skeleton in it, looking through the openings - like it was a cage. LOL I really wanted to stop and ask if they'd sell it to me!! LOL
> 
> ...



You should. I've come up with a number of items this way, including my first car! "excuse me, I notice that car sitting out in the field, interested in selling it?" 

The police are only occasionally called out. And really, I can't blame that poor guy for calling them...I looked like I had just escaped some mental institute (kinda long story)


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## njwilk (Oct 18, 2005)

Best recycling I've done wasn't even my idea - I mentioned to a friend that I was doing a pirate theme a few years ago and was planning to decorate the porch with sails and ropes and stuff to make it look like a ship. He said "I have an old garage in my back yard that I had to tear down - want the wood to build a ship?" And the Merry Gin was launched. The wood was pretty weathered then and just gets nastier-looking every year.


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## njwilk (Oct 18, 2005)

Not this holiday but that other one - we don't get snow here in the Atlanta area for Christmas and I really wanted snow around my snowmen. I had some old pillows and a comforter that I was throwing out, so I pulled the stuffing out and piled it in drifts around the yard. It looked great and when I took down the display I just threw it away as originally planned. We seem to have a never-ending supply of destroyed pillows and comforters at our house (3 dogs, 6 cats), so I plan to do it again this year.
I imagine that it could easily be dyed some disgusting color by dunking it in a five-gallon bucket of water and paint and used for toxic waste or something.


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