The Bones of Buford: Midtown family brings out popular skeletons for Halloween

Molly and Kaiser Gerhardt can stand in their yard and see more bones than a chiropractor.

 Neighbors crane their necks along the sidewalk in front of their home on Buford Place. Folks stop their cars to gawk and take photographs.

The yard is postage-stamp small, but the bone density is impressive.

Every October, the Gerhardts are caregivers to a family of spines, skulls, ribs, legs and arms. 

A pair of 12-foot skeletons guard the property, along with a dog who doesn’t fetch bones … he is one.

 The Gerhardts are not the only family in the neighborhood that pulls out all the “bone-afide” stops for Halloween.  A house at the corner of Buford and Ingleside Avenue keeps dozens of imposing skeletal creatures inside a wrought-iron fence with a sign that reads: “Touch nothing and nothing will touch you.’’

Skeletons have been quite the rage in recent years, becoming almost as popular as traditional pumpkins in some sections of the city.

Kaiser had been fascinated with the giant skeletons since Home Depot began rolling them out during the pandemic of 2020 and affectionately marketed them as “Skelly.’’ 

The birth of Skelly was a combination of impeccable timing and brilliant planning. As Americans were being urged to shelter in place, many families were looking for a diversion. Some began decorating for Halloween months and weeks ahead of schedule.

Sales of Skellys reflected the longing for a different kind of mask than those required at the grocery store during COVID. 

A Home Depot executive said nobody needed a 12-foot tall skeleton … but everybody wanted one. Maybe they could be taught to post up on the basketball court.

The largest skeletons now come with more accessories than a Lexus RX 350 and feature upgrades with lights, swivel heads and eyeballs in the shapes of stars, fireworks and flames.

Kaiser and Molly married the week after Halloween in 2020 and moved into their home on Buford. The following year, Kaiser bought his first skeleton and named him “Mr. Bones.’’

“We knew how big Halloween was on Buford and how many kids came by,’’ he said. “Once I saw how cool those skeletons were and how tall they were, I thought it would be great to add.’’

He later got one for his sister, Kaci, who lives on Elizabeth Place. But the slope of her yard was not suitable. They didn’t want the big bones to topple, so they took it home with them. 

They now call her Mrs. Bones. They are not 100% sure of her gender, or if all those bones are anatomically correct, but they just roll with it for the sake of argument.

 They’ve also added a dog because their 2-year-old daughter, Evie, loves dogs. (They have a couple of dogs named Chauncey and Lulu.)

“Evie loves dogs, so every time we walk outside or go to the car she wants to stop and look at the dog and rub its nose,’’ Kaiser said.

Molly said her husband has a green thumb and takes pride in their flower beds, so people are always stopping to admire their yard. Having the seasonal skeletons just adds to the attraction.

“I feel like it’s something everyone can enjoy,’’ she said. “I was looking out the window last year and saw an instructor from the blind academy (Georgia Academy for the Blind) who was taking a student on a walk. They stopped and came up into the yard to touch and feel it. I thought that was neat.’’