When we trick-or-treaters weren't busy going door-to-door getting candy or throwing rolls of toilet papers on the neighbors' trees, we'd be at home in front of the TV, watching those spooktacular specials that made our Halloween fun.

What specials did you treasure?

I have so many!  (Good question by the way).

In no particular order these are amongst my absolute favorite Halloween specials:

Well I think my list includes several mainstays, but with the work I've done on the RD Halloween Special over the years, that list has changed:

• It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• Witch's Night Out
• The Worst Witch
• Hocus Pocus
• Mad Monster Party
• Garfield's Halloween Special

And some newer stuff like Spooky Buddies.

Family Matters Halloween specials
It's the Great Pumpkin
The Ren and Stimpy special where they stay at the haunted house.
Casper cartoons.

With Casper, every night is Halloween lol.

kidcoffee wrote :
Gary Larsen's Tales from the Far Side
-end quote

I did not know this existed. My life is about to change.

For some reason, Halloween specials never really hit with me as much as Christmas specials. I think it's because most of them use characters from elsewhere, while Rudolph, Frosty, and the Grinch don't have regular TV shows. They feel truly special, while Treehouse of Horror (for instance) is just non-canon writing and adapting other stories.

shakin steak wrote :

kidcoffee wrote :
Gary Larsen's Tales from the Far Side
-end quote

I did not know this existed. My life is about to change.

It's great, and whilst it works well as a Halloween special it doesn't have to be. I've heard the sequel is just as good, but sadly I  didn't catch that one. I'm hoping to fix this soon. 

shakin steak wrote :
For some reason, Halloween specials never really hit with me as much as Christmas specials. I think it's because most of them use characters from elsewhere, while Rudolph, Frosty, and the Grinch don't have regular TV shows. They feel truly special, while Treehouse of Horror (for instance) is just non-canon writing and adapting other stories.
-end quote

That makes good sense. You don't see those Christmas characters anywhere outside of their place in the season, whereas your typical vampire, ghost, and monster can be seen all throughout the year in various other media and beyond.

Christmas is a bit more special to me too, but the spirit of Halloween has really been catching up to it's original level from my childhood since I started having children.

Hey, don't get me wrong, Halloween is king Christmas just gets better specials.

Vaporman87 wrote :

your typical vampire, ghost, and monster can be seen all throughout the year in various other media and beyond.
-end quote

Those early South Park Halloween specials. Like the one where Stan and Kyle teased Cartman because his mom was on the cover of a dirty magazine.

I'm hoping to discover some new vintage specials this year. For example: only this season did I learn of The Midnight Hour with Lavar Burton.