COMMENTARY: Nightmarish Christmas Gifts Delight Burton Fans This Season

While my folks are tuning into the Hallmark channel for the sappy Christmas movies that make them cry year after year, and my niece and nephew obsess over Buddy from Elf, I’m still stuck on a classic Christmas favorite that is often misappropriated by Halloween: The Nightmare Before Christmas. The movie isn’t called A Dream Before Halloween. For me, that’s enough reasoning to say it is, in fact—no matter how creepy—a Christmas movie.

Nightmare Before Christmas MonopolyUSAopoly will bring this cult classic into homes this holiday season in a whole new way with Monopoly: The Nightmare Before Christmas Collector’s Edition. Players can buy, sell, and trade iconic movie locations, such as Jack’s Tower, Oogie Boogie’s Casino, Sally’s Alley, Dr. Finkelstein’s Laboratory, Town Square Fountain, and (my favorite) Spiral Hill. This completely customized game features imagery of all the greatest characters from the film, with Jack and Sally front and center, as well as six collectible pewter tokens, including Jack’s Skull, Sally, the Mayor’s Hearse, Oogie Boogi, Zombie Duck, and Evil Teddy. Just like the classic, this game is designed for two to six players ages 8 and up and is sure to please all Nightmare fans.

Nightmare Before Christmas YahtzeeUSAopoly has also fused the creepy-cool Christmas favorite with another household board game: Yahtzee. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that if you love Jack, you can never have too much of him: and this game has A LOT of Jack. This travel-sized edition of Yahtzee includes a customized dice cup in the shape of Jack Skellington’s head, which also serves as a storage container for all of the game pieces. The days of one through six are over, as the included custom dice feature the frightful movie characters, including the Mayor, Oogie Boogie, Sally, and, of course, Jack. The fun doesn’t stop just there—the Pumpkin King can even be found in silhouette form on the score sheets. The Tim Burton classic has infiltrated every inch of this old school game. All of the classic rules still apply, and the game is designed for one or more players ages 8 and up.

Nightmare Before Christmas Santa Jack Skellington Pop! VinylFor those not-so-into board games (if such people exist), there are other great options that will delight come Christmas morning (as long as no skeleton man or green furry beast comes slinking down the chimney to steal them). There’s only one thing greater than Jack Skellington—and that’s Jack Skellington dressed as Santa. While it’s unfortunate that the spindly white beard covers the amazing oversized bat bowtie we’ve come to love, a skeleton in a Santa suit is still just awesome. Funko has transformed Santa Jack into a collectible figure in the Pop! Vinyl style. Fans will love his enormous gap-toothed smile, and he even holds a little present!

Nightmare Before Christmas Zero Pop! VinylWhere would the Grinch be without Max? Well, where would the Pumpkin King be without Zero, his loyal, faithful, adorably dead ghost pup? Zero has never looked cuter than in Pop! Vinyl format. Standing 3.75 inches tall, Zero features his iconic jack-o-lantern nose and the most precious dead puppy smile I’ve ever seen. Both figures are suitable for kids ages 5 and up. Sure to creep-up any Christmas décor, these figures are perfect for Nightmare fans.

So, get yourself some black wrapping paper and a shiny bow adorned with skulls and think outside the box this Christmas with these Nightmare Before Christmas collectibles. After all, some kids and adults would prefer classic darkness and creepiness to sappiness, prettiness, and/or sparkly shine.

For more commentary from Marissa, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!

About the author

Marissa Silva

Marissa Silva

Marissa Silva is editor-in-chief of the Pop Insider and the Toy Insider, the leading consumer holiday gift guide and toy review and news website. As a professional toy reviewer and an industry expert, she consistently reports on toy, entertainment, and pop culture trends and hot products. In addition to digital content management, Marissa contributes feature-length articles to the Pop Insider and leading toy industry trade magazine The Toy Book, providing retailers, manufacturers, and licensors with information on the latest in toy news. Marissa has been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, ABC World News Now, MSNBC, CBS, NY1, WPIX, and more. A board game fanatic and professional toy reviewer, she spends most of her free time shopping for superhero T-shirts, crushing at Mario Kart, and anxiously awaiting her Hogwarts acceptance letter. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @thattoygirl.

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