1992 Follow That Goblin!

A singing, dancing and rapping extravaganza erupts when Scott and his sister Abby tour the haunted house on Halloween night. The two are trapped in the murky mansion when they stop to help Herbert the Goblin, a hapless haunt who's lost the will to frighten. He teaches the monsters how to be truly scary and save the house.

This is a wonderful children's video! It looks like it was made by the same people who did the Penny cartoon and much of the claymation on Pee Wee's Playhouse. Simple, crude, and cheaply done, but extremely entertaining. This video is also full of valuable lessons for children. It teaches children to share, help your fellow neighbor, be kind to everyone, and many more lessons. It expresses these lessons through songs that the whole family will enjoy. Watch the whole video below:

1995 What-a-Mess: Monsters, Goblins and Ghosts, Oh My!

This animated series was about a grubby, Afghan puppy named What-a-Mess who gets into all kinds of hilarious mess-adventures. A VHS video called Monsters, Goblins and Ghosts, Oh My! was released in 1995 and contains the following 2 Halloween related animated shorts:

"What-A-Mess and the Hairy Monster"
On a dark and stormy night, something spooky is afoot, so What-a-Mess asks Trash to guard him and his new friend, Esmeralda, a dancing mouse.

"Trick or Treat"
It's Halloween and What-a-Mess is supposed to protect his owners on their trick-or-treating, but (gulp!) it's dark and there are ghosts and goblins out there!

1986 Double Dare: Halloween

It's a Halloween Episode of Double Dare, with a Halloween Themed Obstacle Course. Corncobs vs. Ghouls.

1985 The Jetsons: Haunted Halloween

A museum curator wants to kidnap Orbitty for a special project in time for Halloween. Will the Jetsons lose their pet alien to the curator's scheme?

The Jetsons was an overall wonderful show and this is one of the more fun episodes of the series. That why I say The Jetsons "Haunted Halloween" is not to be missed.

Full Episode:

1999 Night of the Headless Horseman

1999's Night of the Headless Horseman is a classic retelling of Washington Irving's, "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow". I am a HUGE fan of the story and I have seen just about every show, special, cartoon and movie based on the famous tale. This CGI animated version actually follows Irving's original story better than most. The atmosphere is creepy, especially for a computer-generated film, the musical score is effective and the voices, William H. Macy as Ichabod Crane, Tia Carrere as Katrina Van Tassel and Luke Perry as Brom Bones, are dead-on. It is not perfect, and not nearly as good as Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" or Disney's "Ichabod and Mr. Toad," but a truly enjoyable ride through Sleepy Hollow nonetheless.

Full CGI Cartoon:

1992 For Better or for Worse - Good for Nothing

The Halloween episode of "For Better or for Worse" called "The Good for Nothing" follows the family dog Farley on a series of misadventures, but all his wrongdoings lands him "in the doghouse" so he decides to run away.

1979 Friendly Giant Halloween Concert

In his castle, "The Friendly Giant" (played by Bob Homme) and his friends, Jerome the Giraffe and Rusty the Rooster, tell stories and play music for young viewers. This popular children's TV show first aired in the US from 1953 to 1958 and then moved to Canada in 1958 and aired until it was canceled in 1985.

Watching this program as a young boy helped me develop a like for reading and for music. The pipe and harp theme song still sticks in my head. Some say, Mr. Rogers is an utter joke compared to Bob Homme. This particular episode is solely devoted to Halloween:

2000 Cry Baby Lane

On October 28, 2000 Nickelodeon premiered a made for TV-Horror Film. The next day, parents complained that it was “too” scary and disturbing for the children's network. Nickelodeon responded by never airing the movie again and never releasing it on DVD or VHS. Over the last 10 years, Nickelodeon even refused to admit it existed. Luckily, a man recorded the one and only time it aired and posted it on the Internet in 2011.

Full Movie:

1948 Mighty Mouse in The Witch's Cat

The mice are throwing a Halloween party, parading around a jack-o-lantern. A witch and her cat, flying by, notice the festivities. As they swoop down on the witch's broomstick, the cat tries to capture the mice but they summon the Mighty One for help. Mighty Mouse is nearly done in by the witch's poison but saves the day as always. Resulting in the mice continuing there celebration of All Hallow's Eve.

1998 Wishbone in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

I love collecting movies, shows and cartoons based on the classic story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". This episode of Wishbone and "Night of the Headless Horseman" are my two favorites in my collection, not that there's anything wrong with Bing Crosby's rendition, of course.

In this episode, the Jack Russell terrier with the vivid imagination is Ichabod Crane the school teacher from the Washington Irving classic. If you just judge this video in terms of Irving's original story, it is an above-average effort and faithful to the original but it might be too scary for children under 7.

This was originally broadcast in the fall of 1997 as a prime-time special in time for Halloween. The show tried to up the ante for their first hour-long effort and I think they succeeded admirably.

Again, this is one of my favorites. It definitely teaches kids about literature, and of course, having a cute little dog helps. Wishbone in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow also called Halloween Hound: The Legend of the Creepy Collars.

1990s Eureeka's Castle: Halloween Special

Eureeka's Castle was a fantastic show for kids. It composed of muppet type characters that have many great musical moments combined with learning techniques for preschoolers. If you remember "Fraggle Rock" and "Muppet Babies" then you'll know exactly what this show was like. The writing was very strong and the performances were top-grade.

The Halloween episode, also called It Came From Beneath the Bed or Nightmare on Magellan Street, wasn't too scary for the little ones, but it was terror-laden without losing any of that colorful delight we came to expect from an Eureeka's Castle episode. I can't seem to find this episode on DVD or VHS, but you can watch it online below for free.

Full Episode:

1989 Whoopties Halloween

Here is a strange Halloween special from I think the late 80s. Other than that, I can't seem to find any other information about this weird special. Good for a laugh or two.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

1986 & 2004 The Berenstain Bears - Halloween

Here we have 2 Halloween themed shorts from The Berenstain Bears cartoon series.

The first short is from 1986 and its called The Spookiest Pumpkin. Papa is ambitious to win a pumpkin carving contest and Brother and Sister are also joining in. Papa is extremely secretive with his own pumpkin and guards it closely. Papa then has nightmares and he chooses to miss out on the contest.

The Spookiest Pumpkin:


The second short is from 2004 and its titled Trick or Treat. On Halloween night, the cubs try to avoid Widder Jones's house, because Brother has heard rumors about her being a witch. As the cubs go trick-or-treating, they're afraid to get near her house for fear she'll turn them into statues. When the cubs realize Witter Jones is a nice lady, she and the cubs decide to play a trick on Too Tall and his gang (who give the cubs more rumors) by playing a trick on them.

Trick or Treat:

1951 To Boo or Not to Boo - Casper, the Friendly Ghost

Here is a 6 minute Halloween cartoon I really enjoyed watching when I was younger: it stars Casper the Friendly Ghost.

In the short, Casper wants to have fun on Halloween by making friends rather then scaring people like other ghosts on Halloween. He trys to go trick-or-treating with the other kids; but his ghostly transparency gives him away and everyone runs away from him in fear. Upon coming to a Halloween costume party at a barn, Casper coats himself in white wash to hide his transparency, and proceeds to enter the party incognito. Inside, he meets a little girl named Lou, who instantly took a shine to him; but will it last? Watch it and see.

So, I love this cartoon! It's a classic! A real heart warmer around Halloween time.

1976 The Headless Horseman of Halloween - The Scooby-Doo Show

This has to be the BEST Scooby episode ever. The gang is having fun at a Halloween costume party with their friend who happens to be a descendant of Ichabod Crane. Their fun turns into a nightmare when the headless horseman shows up. The mislead is well placed, as well as the "bad guy's" slips. Finally, the solution and motive is on the plausible side. Watching this makes me feel like I am actually there experiencing the fear along with Shaggy, Scooby and Scoob's loveable relative Scooby Dum. I absolutely LOVE this episode of The Scooby Doo Show and It's great for the whole family. Enjoy!

Full Episode:

1994 Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Halloween Haunts

This is a wonderful VHS video called Halloween Haunts that was released in 1994 by Walt Disney Studios. It contains a compilation of 3 great classic animated shorts, that fit the theme for Halloween viewing.

After the opening the first cartoon up is, Pluto's Judgment Day (1935) an Early Technicolor short. Pluto's cat-chasing days come to a close when he dreams that he's sent to hell and put on trial for killing lots of cats. The jury is composed completely of cats! Not a true Halloween episode but still a spooky atmosphere.

Lonesome Ghosts (1937) This one is great as well. Four green phantoms want some fun, so they invite ghost busters Mickey, Donald, and Goofy over to their haunted home with the aim of driving them crazy. Great early Disney slapstick.

Trick Or Treat (1952) This is a certified classic in my mind, and based on a great story by the legendary Carl Barks, I love the spooky, opening shot of the town. Donald would rather play a trick on Huey, Dewey, and Louie than give them a treat on Halloween. Witch Hazel overhears the problem and casts a spell on Donald and boys get their treat after all. Just a great short with gorgeous animation.

Full VHS tape:


This is still a favorite of mine as the animation is all fantastic. All three shorts have been released on separate DVD collections. The VHS version is available for sale online but expect to pay alot of $$ for a brand new tape because they are harder to find these days.

1984 A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle - The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries

This episode involves the gang along with Scrappy going to a Halloween gathering at a castle. Soon, they realize that these party guests are really monsters. But, they are in fact being haunted a ghost who possibly is a danger. Scobby, Scrappy and the gang do this one really well. Dracula along with the other classic monsters are the perfect villains for the gang and this, along with the usual features of a Scobby Doo piece, makes this episode very interesting. Most of 80's Scooby-Doo shows are really hard to find. Bottom line, kids will like this and they will still like it when they stop being kids. Besides, Drac looks cool in this one.

Full VHS tape:

1984 You Can't Do That on Television - Halloween

Here's a Halloween special of the sketch comedy series You Can't Do That on Television - during which Christine casts an imaginary spell onto Ross after he publicly expresses his disdain for Halloween, as aired on the Nickelodeon cable channel.

The program, started in Canada in 1979 and running there through 1990, was a staple of Nickelodeon from 1981 until 1994. This edition starred Christine McGlade, Lisa Ruddy, Alasdair Gillis, Dougie Ptolemy, Mike Cameron, Les Lye and Abby Hagyard.