Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration, stands with his dog outside a home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — A Navy spouse determined to bring a towering skeleton from the United States to her home on this base south of Hiroshima reached a dead end in every possible way.
Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration sold for $299 at Home Depot, is so popular it’s been written about in USA Today, the New York Post and other publications. But it exceeds the 130-inch, 70-pound limit on parcel size set by the U.S. Military Postal Service Agency.
Asemoon Amirazodi worked for the past three months figuring out how to get Skelly to MCAS Iwakuni. Shipping it via commercial carrier would cost more than four times the purchase price, she told Stars and Stripes at her home on Monday.
“I truly love decorating in general, for Christmas, Halloween … everything,” she said. “So, I said, you know what, my husband’s deployed right now, what else am I doing with my time? So, I just fixated on getting the Skelly here.”
Amirazodi explored other avenues — the Marine Corps Exchange, Defense Commissary Agency, United Service Organization or space-available flights — but none panned out.
In a last-ditch effort, she contacted Lance Allen, a senior merchant at Home Depot. Allen and his team helped create Skelly, he told USA Today for a recent story.
“He’s come back for five seasons now, and he sold out every year,” he told the paper.
Amirazodi knew her house in front of Matthew C. Perry Elementary School was the right spot for such a large display, and to her surprise, Allen agreed.
“You definitely have the perfect location,” he told her by email late last month. “I’ll keep working on this for you. Hopefully I can find a way.”
Navy spouse Asemoon Amirazodi poses with Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration, and his skeleton dog outside her home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
Not long after, the giant skeleton arrived at Amirazodi’s front door, shipped free of charge through DHL by Home Depot and the vendor who manufactures Skelly. They also threw in Skelly’s 7-foot-long skeleton dog as a bonus.
“I’m so glad he made it,” Allen wrote in a follow-up email to Amirazodi. “It took a little longer than I wanted, but I figured the surprise would be worth it. I can’t wait to see him up and how much the kids love him and the dog together. I hope it’s an extremely memorable Halloween this year.”
Allen, in an email to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday, said Amirazodi had obviously tried everything to get a Skelly to Japan. “So, I knew we were probably her last chance for this season,” he said.
“Fortunately, we have leveraged DHL for some large shipments in the past and we knew they’d be able to get it there,” he said.
Children crowd around Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration, and his skeleton dog at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
When the massive decorations arrived, Amirazodi went to work creating Navy-themed accessories for them: two giant Navy hats, dog tags with the name “Skelly Bone O” and a dog collar with a tag labeled “Chew-Hi,” a take-off on the popular Japanese alcoholic beverage.
“I just love Halloween — just everything about him is so over the top and it’s so opposite of me, because I’m so little,” she told Stars and Stripes. “You can’t walk by and not smile.”
After school ended Monday, children and their parents came by to see the display and pet Amirazodi’s two dogs.
The skeletons have been a huge hit in the community, for the young and young at heart, Marine spouse Gloria Mackinnon told Stars and Stripes at the display on Monday.
“My husband’s platoon came and took pictures this morning,” she said.
Children crowd around Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration, and his skeleton dog at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
Navy spouse Asemoon Amirazodi, far left, welcomes visitors to check out Skelly, a 12-foot-high Halloween decoration, and his skeleton dog at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
Skelly is not coming down anytime soon, said Amirazodi, who plans to make use of the decorations for other holidays, including arranging them for Christmas as the Grinch and his dog Max.
“It’s a pretty tight-knit community,” she said. “Just seeing so many people stop and say hi or smile on their nightly walks or to say thank you. This has made my day.”
Amirazodi has shared with Allen photos and video of people enjoying Skelly at Iwakuni.
“It’s been fun to see the joy and excitement our Halloween items can bring halfway around the globe,” Allen told Stars and Stripes. “It’s great to be able to give back just a little as our services members and their families give so much.”
