Halloween 2024: Princess Frogs

Here’s a sneak peek at my Halloween 2024 displays: “Princess Frogs.” This year’s display explores whether a man is as willing as a woman to kiss a frog and whether a princess would prefer living as a frog over living as a princess. 

In the modern version of the fairytale “The Frog Prince,” an evil witch transforms a prince into a frog. A princess breaks the spell by kissing the frog and transforming him into a prince. 

In the past years, I have created Halloween displays about Central Park ghosts, the Van Der Voort Sisters, and Amy Winehouse.

I created the four Princess Frogs’ bodies using plastic water bottles and Coffeemate bottles, assorted Amazon boxes, the New York Times newspaper, paper towels and toilet paper rolls, foam (found in the garbage, and rolls and rolls of masking tape.

The faces are made from kid’s frog masks (bought online), cardboard from butter, soap, and foil boxes, and dollar-store Halloween plastic eyes (bought last year). I’m guilty of using every shortcut I can find for my displays. I made old-school paper mache using flour, water, and salt. My tip is to use brown packing paper, found in Amazon packages, rather than newspaper. It’s so much easier to work with and creates a smooth finish.

Divabetic Halloween Displays 2022

My office is on New York City’s Halloween street. We’re expecting 3,000 – 5,000 trick-or-treaters. Everyone decorates their brownstones and flower beds. This year, I made 3 displays with my friend, Lauren.

Display #1: Ghost of Lily, the Central Park Zoo Polar Bear (1987- 2004)

“Lily was the beloved companion of Gus, a 700-pound polar bear that mesmerized tourists. He swam lap after lap in figure-eight patterns, pawing his way through the water with powerful backstrokes. He did this for as many as 12 hours a day. Every day. Every week. Every month. Lily would grin and bear it.

Materials: I used office shreddings, a dollar store mask, masking tape, plastic Chinese Restaurant soup containers, bubble wrap, a plastic serving bowl (belly), a Dollar Store child’s tutu, and newspaper to make her!).

Inspiration: I had no plans to make this bear until I received a package that arrived with pink bubble wrap. I couldn’t stop wondering if I could make a tutu using it!

Display #2: The Amy Wine “Haunted” House Twins:

“Rockstar Amy Winehouse died too soon

She misused hard drugs
drank too much booze

Maybe a lesson for October
is to remember you can make great art even when you’re sober”

Materials: I used Diet Coke bottles (shoes), hangers, newspaper, Dollar Store masks, pipe cleaners, Target (dress), water bottles, 1-gallon water jugs (heads), styrofoam balls, takeaway food serving utensils (hands), yarn, shower loofa (flower), yarn (hair), masking tape, and office shredding to make these beauties).

Inspiration: I adored my friend Catherine Schuller’s beautiful fascinator made out of water bottles that she wore for Halloween a few years back, so I challenged myself to build something out of my recycling pile.

Display #3: Real-Life Van der Voort Sister Ghosts. These beauties will make their debut later today! When I googled ‘Central Park Ghosts,’ I found a few articles about the two Victorian sisters, Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, who haunt the ice rink in Central Park. Their story has such Gothic overtones that I got carried away. I produced a short audio story (with the help of Lorraine Brooks, Wendy Radford, Verna Henry, and Lauren Ricks), designed an art installation, and recruited my boyfriend, Joe, a found art sculptor, to create an additional display. I can’t wait to share it with you! Happy Halloween!