Thread: What was your biggest prop flop?

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By that I mean what project/build went awry the most, or was more trouble than it was worth. Or what props had you spent a lot of time and it ended up in a horrible mishap, be it vandalism, act of God, what have you?

I've had my fair share of light weight props/decorations get 'carried away' by spiteful gusts of wind from time to time. But at least I never knew what fate actually befell them. I used to imagine that someone found the item in question, (windsock, inflatable, etc) and added it to their collection, and then at least someone would get use out of it.

Such was not the case one year. I decided to do a scale model of the outside of a haunted house from our local amusement park, called the 'Whacky Shack'.


(pictures of the actual ride, NOT the model)

I spent weeks off and on. Since I had no power tools or experience using them, I used cardboard boxes, BIG MISTAKE! But I had made a 'miniature haunted house' in much the same way years earlier. In both cases, I painted it with at leats 4 or 5 coats of paint and just a many spray coats of clear varnish. While the house lasted about 3 or 4 years, the 'Whacky Shack', well....

I put it out in the yard one afternoon on an overcast day. Now I wish I had waited until Halloween afternoon evening (and taken pictures) Not more than an hour or two after I did so we had a driving rain (freezing drizzle) and before I could save it I stood out in the yard and watched it literally melt before my horrified eyes faster than you coul say 'MacArthur Park'...

Two years ago we set up our stirring witch prop in the back yard. It looked pretty cool near an old bush, and we had a companion withc sitting in an old wooden chair, cat on her lap, cane, etc to make a nice little scene. An hour into TOT the fabric draping the chicken wire frame of the stirring witch came loose and dropped onto the ground. no one noticed it at first so several groups went through and saw this pvc/chicken wire armature thing. To top it off, one of the hands fell of the stirring stick and was just dangling there so she stirred with one hand. It looked really bad but in a funny way. We did manage to get some comments from poarents on how it was cool to see how such a prop was built. Needless to say we spend a lot of time dressing her now so that won't happen again!

Nothing yet knock on wood.

Thom Serveaux, Where's the park at?.....I love all of Tracey's old rides.....I'd love to experience the Wacky Shack someday....I've been through Trimper's "Tracey rides" lot's of times @ OC.....Definitely great stuff....ZR

To answer the question, I'd have to say my clock made of foam....It looks awesome and works great but in hind sight I wish I would have built a wooden structure inside of it since it is air operated....It still works great but I've had to reinforce the door twice already and it's just a matter of time til it will need done again....For the amount of time I put into it (months) it would have been nice to have a better inner structure.....ZR

It happened last year, I made an alien from an oscillating fan. It looked awesome but 5 minutes after i turned it on the motor burned out and i had a static prop.

Last year I made a Fred Kruger prop, and about an hour into Halloween, he fell over, and fell apart. I ended up salvaging the head, and using it as a "Head on a Pike" prop.

Hallow all and LOL LOL LOL! Sometimes it is best to laugh at the mishaps, yes?!

We have had the SAME problem with one of our witches each and every year. Why in heaven's name I don't remember before I box her up that it will only happen again next year -- heaven knows.

We have a witch that dances. She compresses down at the middle to fit in the box for storage, and the only assembly required is to pull her up and lock her into position - then plug her in and she goes to town!

BUT each year - about halfway into our party - she starts to do her Twist and Shout-ish routine and thwump - down she goes -- still shaking but only midget size...!

I run in - pull her up...think she is locked back in her full and upright position - and about 30 minutes later...thwump -- down she goes again. Over and over -- all night long I frantically run in to resurrect her from her squished stance. She still wiggles - but she sort of vibrates across the floor and ---- well -- it is a total prop malfunction! LOL

Yes - I will again set her up this year. It will be the third year in a row that I have not investigated her problem.. I suppose her malfunctioning is now a "must see" at our party! Perhaps I should take bets on how long the witch will remain standing before her untimely collapse!

MysterE thinks I should put her near the bar -- I suppose as a warning! LOL

Originally Posted by Thom_Serveaux

By that I mean what project/build went awry the most, or was more trouble than it was worth. Or what props had you spent a lot of time and it ended up in a horrible mishap, be it vandalism, act of God, what have you?

I've had my fair share of light weight props/decorations get 'carried away' by spiteful gusts of wind from time to time. But at least I never knew what fate actually befell them. I used to imagine that someone found the item in question, (windsock, inflatable, etc) and added it to their collection, and then at least someone would get use out of it.

Such was not the case one year. I decided to do a scale model of the outside of a haunted house from our local amusement park, called the 'Whacky Shack'.


(pictures of the actual ride, NOT the model)

I spent weeks off and on. Since I had no power tools or experience using them, I used cardboard boxes, BIG MISTAKE! But I had made a 'miniature haunted house' in much the same way years earlier. In both cases, I painted it with at leats 4 or 5 coats of paint and just a many spray coats of clear varnish. While the house lasted about 3 or 4 years, the 'Whacky Shack', well....

I put it out in the yard one afternoon on an overcast day. Now I wish I had waited until Halloween afternoon evening (and taken pictures) Not more than an hour or two after I did so we had a driving rain (freezing drizzle) and before I could save it I stood out in the yard and watched it literally melt before my horrified eyes faster than you coul say 'MacArthur Park'...

Dont want to hijack your thread.... is that a gravity based ride? Our local amusement park has a gravity based "haunted house". Its old as dirt, and I swear it looks just like the one in your picture, except a house facade on it.

Originally Posted by HallowSusieBoo

Hallow all and LOL LOL LOL! Sometimes it is best to laugh at the mishaps, yes?!

We have had the SAME problem with one of our witches each and every year. Why in heaven's name I don't remember before I box her up that it will only happen again next year -- heaven knows.

We have a witch that dances. She compresses down at the middle to fit in the box for storage, but the only assembly required is to pull her up and lock her into position - then plug her in and she goes to town!

BUT each year - about halfway into our party - she starts to do her Twist and Shout-ish routine and thwump - down she goes -- still shaking but only midget size...!

I run in - pull her up...think she is locked back in her full and upright position - and about 30 minutes later...thwump -- down she goes again. Over and over -- all night long I frantically run in to resurrect her from her squished stance. She still wiggles - but she sort of vibrates across the floor and ---- well -- it is a total prop malfunction! LOL

Yes - I will again set her up this year. I twill be the third year in a row that I ahve not investigated her problem.. I suppose her malfunctioning is now a "must see" at our party! Perhaps I should take bets on how long the witch will remain standing before her untimely collapse!

MysterE thinks I should put her near the bar -- I suppose as a warning! LOL

After my day today..that made me laugh.

My only one (so far) I made a swamp monster looking thing to go in my garden with my small pond. Chicken wire, papermache..etc...First thing I really got creative in building. Put it in the haunt on the big night and after it got dark...you couldnt even see it. Put light on it and it looked...well stupid. Anyway that didnt get redone. Put it in file 13.