AMUCK, AMUCK, AMUCK! You know how that one Christmas song talks about how "it's the most wonderful time of the year", and most of it's about Christmas? We're all for that, but we'd also like to point out that that dude dedicates one line to there being "scary ghost stories". Sounds to me like we've got a fellow Halloween fan, so kudos, bc Halloween just so happens to be OUR favorite time of the year!

Over the years we've pitched Halloween to pretty much any brief that allowed, and in many cases we've got to create some delightfully spooky-fied takes on some of our fav IP. (Don't worry, we've included a few examples further down in the post!)

Halloween is a massive industry in and of itself, even outside of the Horror film genre, so we're always surprised to see how little attention it does get in the licensing world. It does look like brands are finally coming around to the fact that Halloween is an excellent springboard for fresh, fun takes on their own characters. However, we think there's a case to be made that EVERY brand should be jumping on this bandwagon and understand there's a ton of fandom to be served here. ~$8B is spent on licensable product yearly from consumers (and that's just for costumes and decorations) - source NRF.

We're not just talking about costumes, btw - anything but. We're talking about actual Halloween-focused consumer products. With a Halloween-specific style guide, your characters get the chance to be themselves by showing their personality through a lighthearted holiday, while also letting loose a bit. Disney has gone all-in here for the better part of the last decade with a tentpole Halloween refresh every year. (Please note, I still remember when Disney was realllly hanging on to its two-pose Mickey as Dracula key art, and that was as far as it went). So much to my joyful surprise, I was floored when they dove head-first into the spook world.

In my humble opinion, this all also works best when it's not a costume slap over evergreen key art. When you give the characters their due, dress them to the nines in a costume of their own choosing (yes, I went there), then the IP soars and truly connects through whatever medium the style guide flows. These characters have personalities, so why not let them express themselves on one of the most expressive holidays of the year?

Halloween is an Important Holiday

When we build a bespoke style guide around Halloween, we're looking at non-traditional touchpoints for the assets, and how these have an instant opportunity to surprise and delight a fan when the season strikes. I remember the first time we saw Simpsons Treehouse of Horror cups at Target a few years back. Those were an INSTANT buy for us. Affordable fan services on my favorite holiday? +10 points to The Simpsons (err… Disney, I suppose).

Our goal is really developing assets that let the IP breathe, and offer a connection that wouldn't have been made otherwise. Halloween is an important holiday, it's time we start giving it its due.

Oh, and here's some of that Halloween-centric work we've done over the years 🎃

Nickelodeon x Ultrakind: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Social First Illustration

Hulu x Ultrakind - Social First Illustration for Huluween

Universal Consumer Products x Ultrakind - Digital Ad

Nickelodeon x Ultrakind - Nicktoon Social Illustration