Which Halloween inflatables are best?

Inflatables have been used in parades and as roadside advertising for many years. Their big advantage is that they weigh so little, they can be made in sizes that would be too heavy and expensive if they were made of solid materials.

Inflatable outdoor displays for Halloween are meant to be scary. Ghosts, skeletons, bats and black cats all make your home and yard spooky. Blow-up Halloween decorations 10 and 20 feet tall are sure to thrill the trick-or-treaters — the bigger, the better.

How do inflatables work?

Inflatables rely on air pressure to fill what is essentially a large party balloon. Just as it does in a balloon, the air pumped into inflatable yard displays causes the ”balloon” to slowly grow to its full size. The air pressure is maintained at a constant level, just enough to keep your display properly inflated.

How do I set up my Halloween inflatable?

1. Find a flat space on your lawn and make sure you clear it of all debris, especially sticks and stones that may puncture your inflatable display.
2. Attach your fan, connect it and turn it on.
3. Pay careful attention as your Halloween decoration unfolds, watching to see it goes smoothly and helping it if it gets stuck. Make sure it does not come into contact with tree limbs or overhead wires.
4. Continue until the air in your inflatable is at the pressure specified by the manufacturer. 
5. Drive stakes into the ground around your display. 
6. Attach one rope to the inflatable and pull it snugly against the stake. Continue all the way around, attaching one end of the ropes to the display and the other to the stakes.
7. Go all the way around again, this time adjusting the ropes so the tension is balanced in all directions.
8. Have fun scaring the neighborhood!

Will a Halloween inflatable blow away?

The downside of inflatables is that they are so light, they’re easily blown around by the wind. To fix this problem, tie down your lawn displays and never inflate them in high winds. 

Stakes

Not just any stake will do. 

• Material: Plastic stakes have the least tie-down strength and metal stakes have the most. 
• Length: The longer the stake, the better it will anchor your inflatable. 
• Setup: Drive the stakes into the ground at a 45-degree angle for the greatest security.

Tie-down ropes

Ropes should be sturdy and easy to coil and uncoil. They should be attached to the stakes with enough tension to hold your inflatable upright and steady. Ropes with ratchet attachments make it easy to adjust the tension of all your tie-down ropes to get the exact setup you want.

Weights

Weights are sometimes enough to hold down small inflatables, but are better used in conjunction with stakes and tie-down ropes. Sandbags are the best, but you can also use weights from workout equipment. 

Static or moving displays?

• Static: Basic Halloween inflatables are blow-up versions of scary creatures. 
• Moving: Tube dancers are inflatables in motion. Also called air dancers and tube men, they are built to move about as air is strategically released through special vents. 

Best Halloween inflatables 

Under $100

ZMHQLPDZ 9-Foot Blow-up Dead Tree with Ghosts and Pumpkins

This clever design is an old dead tree with its leafless branches holding two ghosts, two pumpkins and a black owl, all lit from inside just as the tree is.

Sold by Amazon

BZB 7-Foot Inflatable Skeleton on Ghost Train

This old-time steam engine is made in the traditional black and orange Halloween colors. The skeleton engineer tows a flatcar carrying pumpkins and a ghost riding a tombstone with “R.I.P.” on the front.

Sold by Amazon

Goosh 8-Foot Inflatable Grim Reaper

The Grim Reaper is dressed in black and carries his scythe on his shoulder. The LEDs inside light his wicked red eyes and give a shimmering effect to the flames licking at his robe.

Sold by Amazon

Mortime Inflatable Giant Halloween Black Cat

This black cat with yellow claws stands 6.4 feet tall with its purple witch’s hat. Its yellow eyes are lit from inside by LEDs and it’s got a heavy-duty base for stability.

Sold by Amazon

For $100-$200

Gemmy Animated Spooky Outhouse with Monster and Air-Blown Door

Air provides the power for the animated monster to open and close the door of this 6-foot-tall inflatable outhouse.

Sold by Amazon

Kitbonis 10-Foot Lighted Inflatable Happy Halloween Pumpkin

This huge pumpkin ties down with six ropes and ground plugs. The built-in LED lights flash brilliantly in the dark, revealing the giant spider lurking above.

Sold by Amazon

Mis 1950s Halloween Inflatable Remote Control Giant Eyeball

Use the remote control to make this 2-foot-wide bloodshot eyeball light up, fast flash and gradually change through 13 colors. It even floats in your pool.

Sold by Amazon

Look Our Way 20-Foot Air Dancer

The inflatable tube man is a skeleton in this Halloween version of the ubiquitous air dancer and is compatible with all 18-inch Velcro mount air blowers.

Sold by Amazon

Over $200

BZB Jumbo Halloween Party Decorations Bundle

You get a 7-foot-tall inflatable pirate ship with a skeleton ghost crew and an 11.5-foot-long Grim Reaper pumpkin carriage blowup with lights. These two large decorations include an air blower, stakes and tethers.

Sold by Amazon

BZB Halloween Party Decorations Bundle

This 8.5-foot-tall inflated haunted house is a castle with skeletons, ghosts and a black cat. The separate 8-by-10-foot inflatable black archway to doom surrounds your front entrance with a giant spider crawling overhead and three scary ghosts floating around.

Sold by Amazon

Lvaostt 20-foot Inflatable Pumpkin with Spider

This giant pumpkin fills in about three minutes and the low-noise blower keeps it inflated while the built-in LED lights the pumpkin from inside, as well as illuminating the spider’s spooky eyes.

Sold by Amazon

BZB 20-Foot Inflatable Animated Black Cat

This black cat is 20 feet tall and 20 feet long, too. Lights on the inside glow brightly while the cat swings its head from side to side,  black and orange tail stuck straight up in the air. 

Sold by Amazon

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