It’s been a few weeks since I last visited my quest to bring 56 skeletons to my Halloween Village, so it’s probably time to get things back on track. So, without further adieu, I bring you skeleton number 3: Skeleton Crew.
In my opinion, this is the best nautical-themed piece Department 56 has introduced to the collection so far. There are others, such as the Spooky Schooner and Mickey’s Pirate Cove. However, in my opinion, neither of these pieces really projects the Halloween spirit. The Spooky Schooner is simply a tattered ship with no real Halloween theme to it. Mickey’s Pirate Cove does have a pumpkin in front of it, but beyond that, doesn’t have much of anything else to do with Halloween.
Skeleton Crew, meanwhile, is entirely spooky. The main figure is a skeleton in a rowboat, complete with fishing pole. This boney sportsman wears the collection’s trademark black fedora, which I am always a fan of. Additional Halloween touches include a vulture perched on the side of the boat, as well as a boney hand reaching up out of the water to cling to the rope at the front of the boat. That’s a lot of detail for a small, inexpensive piece! Beyond that, Skeleton Crew is pretty simple, with no lighting or other electronic features. It may not hold up terribly well with the lights turned down, but in daylight, it looks great!
Skeleton crew, while a simple piece, is one of my favorites. Adding a lake to my village really adds a new dimension to my village landscape, and having a skeleton fishing those waters is quite a catch!
56 Skeletons 