I've never really been on the Halloween bucket bandwagon.
Way back in 2010, on the old blog, I hunted down and reviewed the McDonald's "Halloween Pails" (a rebranding, I believe, away from the beloved "Boo Buckets" moniker). I somehow had missed the glory days of '80s Boo Buckets back in the day so in trying to 're-parent' myself (and running a Halloween blog), I got in on the hunting and buying. I did this in 2010 (Mr. Potato Head), 2011 (Monster/Pumpkin), and 2012 (Scooby-Doo).
The Home Depot ones had a design I didn't really care for. It felt more like AI-generated clip art than a real design choice.
The Ace Hardware buckets had a more symmetrical design, but I wasn't really feeling the black bucket look.
Petco tried getting in on the action but both the green and orange felt phoned-in.
I won't bother going into the Dunkin' Donuts, Dollar Tree, 40th Anniversary McDonald's, Burger King, or the myriad of other box-store-knockoffs. It's war. Bucket War. And it's not pretty.
But my goldilocks moment came when I saw what Lowe's had in store for their first foray into bucketry.
LOOK AT IT!
This bucket was juuuuuust right.
Why?
Because it GLOWS IN THE DARK!
That's A number One.
Anything, ANYTHING that glows in the dark is immediately awesome. I've had this opinion since I was 8 and it hasn't ever faltered.
And it's not just one small part of the bucket that glows. THE ENTIRE BUCKET glows in the dark.
No fancy (or cheap) graphics. Just a smiling, happy, jack o' lantern of a face.
Simple.
Classic.
Friendly.
Timeless.
I was immediately drawn to it.
And, as luck had it, I had to go to a Lowe's that very weekend for some gardening supplies.
However, I knew I was in trouble because despite the giant animatronic jack o' lantern scarecrow at the front of the store, the employees were literally beginning to set up the Halloween merch as I walked in.
Tons of cardboard boxes on the floor.
NO merch on the shelves.
In fact, the shelves were being assembled by said employees.
Having no shame, I asked one of them if 'the glow buckets' were around.
They looked at each other with quizzical looks and I realized they had no idea. I could have been frustrated by that, but instead it made it all the more special.
"Boy wait'll THEY see 'em," I thought. Because apparently I'm the kid in A Christmas Story or something. ("Boy?" Did I really think that? Are you sure it wasn't "gee whiz?" This is your subconscious critic chiming in--- write better.)
Anyway, I did a sweep of the store just to see if they were stuck on an end cap or further in the store, but no luck.
Two.
Weeks.
Later.
After reading post after post about people finding them in stores, and making stop after stop to my only local Lowe's in search of them, I finally walked in on a morning weekday and right next to the Halloween merch, THERE THEY WERE!
Ingloriously stacked up on a pallet by the Halloween section, there they were (see pic!).
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| Photo: Lowe's. |
My initial thought:
"Oh wow, these aren't full sized buckets. They're, like, not mini, and not full size."
(They are actually only 2 gallon buckets, not the 'standard/utility' 5 gallon size.)
This makes total sense, then, that the marketing materials that Lowe's created has children using them as trick or treat buckets (see pic). I was thinking these were kids lugging around huge utility-sized buckets and thinking "THAT is unrealistic. How heavy is a huge bucket full of candy!"
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| Photo: Lowe's. |
I love all the materials Lowe's created to go with their glow bucket.
They provided a great graphic on how to charge up your glow (see pic). I appreciate this tremendously.
Though if you're not super-charging your glow items with a black light, you're doing it wrong.
Just sayin'...
While writing this I realized another connection to this glow bucket: it reminds me of my Weeble Haunted House ghost Weeble.
Real quick: I had a Weeble Haunted House because I was fascinated by, and terrified of, ghosts.
So, of course, I asked for the Weeble Haunted House Playset for Christmas. And got it.
And that playset came with a glow in the dark Weeble ghost (essentially an egg-shaped ghost).
But the WHOLE egg glowed in the dark.
AND he had a friendly face.
So maybe this bucket is pushing some nostalgia buttons too.
Lastly, and this is silly but I'm saying it anyway, it has a sticker on the side of the bucket that says "Glows in the Dark." I love this. I love this so much I left the sticker ON the bucket. I like that the sticker both a) tells the person who just sees the bucket in the store during the day that this is not a 'white' bucket but something that will glow in the dark; and b) that when something glows in the dark it is to be ADVERTISED. It is to be shouted from the rooftops!
"Ahoy there pirates! Thar be glowin' treasure yonder!"
OR...
"I say there, boy! What day is it?"
"It's glow in the dark day, sir!"
OR...
"Listen! LISTEN! The glow bucket is gone! Brain took him!!!!" (Anyone who gets that reference, you are my people.)
So I left with two glow buckets.
Why two? Dunno. I think it was muscle memory from my collectible buying days.
One to keep, one to open.
But these are buckets. They are not going to be a collectible. And they are already 'open.'
Welp--- I've got one I'm actually using as a bucket (it currently holds parts from our humidifier that I've disassembled to clean it out).
The other? That one is sitting on the shelf of my office, smiling on me as I work.
My favorite part of every day is when I log off for the day, draw the shade, and turn off the light... and that glow bucket that's been charging in the sunlight all day smiles on me as I slowly close the door.
G'night glow bucket.
See you tomorrow.
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