Happy Jack: The Grave Dancer

October 30, 2014 8:40 PM

"I can't remember where I was the first time I saw the KXVO Pumpkin Dance several years ago, or who sent it to me, but I remember the feeling: that I would one day show this video to my children, and their children after them. It effortlessly combined so many facets of contemporary pop culture: the Ghostbusters theme song, an inane costume, dancing so bad that it's good, and — perhaps most important of all — it ran on a local TV station in Omaha, Nebraska."

-The Story Behind the Greatest Halloween Video Ever in the History of the Internet
posted by almostmanda (12 comments total)

Somehow I had never seen this before and am now crying with laughter into my evening tea so thanks for that.
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:48 PM on October 30, 2014 [5 favorites]

I missed the 09 buzz on this but Tumblr introduced me. And truly, it is magic.
posted by emjaybee at 8:58 PM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

Well, that went straight to Facebook. My holiday triptych is now complete; for Thanksgiving I post William S. Burroughs' Thanksgiving Prayer , and the Cement Cuddlers story from the Cacophony Society to build the Christmas spirit. I figure it's the least I can do after all the pithy, relentlessly positive junk they post all year.
posted by cybrcamper at 9:22 PM on October 30, 2014 [4 favorites]

*shrugs while dancing*
posted by infinitewindow at 9:24 PM on October 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

" "I will not ruin the sanctity of that character". Now that is commitment! I mean, that character is dripping with sanctity.
posted by greenhornet at 9:24 PM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

I first saw this earlier this year, but the version I saw was Spooky Scary Skeletons version. I like this one much better. Mostly cuz the song is banging and it still works with the dancing!
posted by symbioid at 10:05 PM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

I feel like this is a spiritual companion piece to the pumpkin dance.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:10 PM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

Happy Jack wasn't small, but he was a star
He danced by some graves in a unitard
The kids would all laugh cause his dance looked drunken
And he wore on his head a plastic orange pumpkin
(vague copyright-infringing approximation of bad-ass drum part goes here)
posted by Spatch at 3:29 AM on October 31, 2014 [5 favorites]

now is the time on sprockets when we dance
posted by jenkinsEar at 4:50 AM on October 31, 2014 [1 favorite]

This guy did his homework. On the feast of the saturnalia, the ancient pagans would mark the occasion by skanking to an off-key rendition of a Jackson Browne song.
posted by dr_dank at 4:56 AM on October 31, 2014 [3 favorites]

Me irl.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:06 AM on October 31, 2014 [3 favorites]

To me, that is what I recognize as "Dad dancing." Regardless, I have loved it since I saw on one of my favorite Tumblrs.
posted by Kitteh at 6:10 AM on October 31, 2014 [3 favorites]