Home Depot began selling a big skeleton in 2020.

It is 12 feet tall and weighs 90 pounds.

It has glowing LCD eyes.

It cost $299.

It was the first chaotic pandemic year.

Many people bought one.

The article says Americans feel sad, stressed or bored.

Then they shop for things they do not need.

But they want them.

The skeleton is called Skelly.

It appeared on lawns across the country.

It was in California and New Jersey.

It was on Brooklyn stoops.

People dressed it in costumes.

They kept it out all year.

They used it for Christmas and the Fourth of July.

They even used it in summer.

In 2024 it got a chest lightning attachment.

In 2026, a Bluetooth connection lets owners record sounds.

They can also speak through it live.

It also comes with a dog and a cat.

It comes with a smaller 6½-foot version too.

It has sold out before Halloween every year.

Aubrey Horowitz works at Home Depot.

Horowitz is merchant of Decorative Holiday.

Horowitz called it "the ultimate American decoration."

Horowitz said people love the nostalgia.

Horowitz said people love the connection with their communities.

Horowitz said bigger is often better.

The writer moved to the U.S. from Eastern Europe at age 13.

The writer was struck by the size of everything American.

This includes cars and milk gallons.

The writer says gaudy yard decor was unfamiliar.

The writer says Skelly still stops the writer in their tracks.

The article says the U.S. did not invent Halloween.

But its excess is very American.