One of Disney’s earliest animated shorts is getting its own Halloween merchandise collection, with The Skeleton Dance returning to the graveyard nearly a century after its debut.
The new collection launches on Disney Store on August 31, with select items already beginning to appear at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Apparel, Harveys bags, and home décor are all included, featuring imagery inspired by the 1929 Silly Symphony.
A Little History Behind The Skeleton Dance
Released in 1929, The Skeleton Dance was the first entry in Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies series. Directed by Walt Disney and animated primarily by Ub Iwerks, the black-and-white short follows four skeletons emerging from their graves for a nighttime dance before scrambling back underground at sunrise.
Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons, Silly Symphonies gave Disney’s artists a place to experiment with animation and the relationship between music and movement without relying on recurring characters. The series would eventually become an important testing ground for techniques Disney later carried into its feature films.
The skeletons appeared again, this time alongside Mickey, in the 1929 Mickey Mouse Cartoon The Haunted House.
Nearly 100 years later, those dancing skeletons remain a natural fit for the Halloween season!
The Skeleton Dance & The Haunted House Apparel
The Mickey Mouse and The Skeleton Dance ¼ Zip Pullover Spirit Jersey for Adults combines Mickey with imagery from the short and features a striped tie-dye design.
There’s also a Mickey Mouse Varsity Sweater Jacket – The Haunted House, an oversized knitted jacket featuring vintage-inspired artwork from the Mickey Mouse cartoon The Haunted House.
New Harveys Bags
Three Harveys designs are part of the collection: the Mickey Mouse Tote by Harveys – The Haunted House and The Skeleton Dance, Mickey Mouse Clutch by Harveys – The Haunted House and The Skeleton Dance, and The Skeleton Dance Coin Purse by Harveys.
Each incorporates scenes and characters inspired by the vintage shorts, with additional Harveys styles expected exclusively at Disney Parks.
Halloween Home Décor
For the house, Disney is releasing The Skeleton Dance Pillow and Mickey Mouse Throw Blanket – The Haunted House and The Skeleton Dance.
Finally, the Disney Store Exclusive The Skeleton Dance Light-Up Figure (much like a classic Halloween blowmold) recreates one of the short’s skeletons perched atop a tombstone.
Happy Halloween!
