Overview:
Before the late 1980s, Halloween decorating was mostly comprised of putting up ceramic jack-o’-lanterns, cardboard cutouts of ghosts, and the occasional lighted blow mold. But, in 1986, one company developed an idea that forever changed the way haunters decorated their homes, for that was the year when Telco Creations introduced a revolutionary concept to the witching season: animation. Nowadays, Americans take for granted that they can walk into any store to purchase an animatronic figure to “frighten up” their All Hallows’ displays. Before Telco, that would have been impossible. Telco Creations was renowned for its innovative Christmas decorations, and it only seemed an appropriate next step to tackle Halloween. Thus, the Original Telco Motion-ettes of Halloween were born: the Witch, the Ghost, and the Scarecrow. The line immediately expanded to include the Monster and the Vampire characters, as well as the Skeleton in the top hat. Each tabletop figure stood 24” tall, sized to be reminiscent of the motorized holiday window displays for which department stores had always been known. They featured head and arm movement, as well as illumination, and were powered by electricity.
By 1987, Telco Creations had introduced its line-up of groovy ghouls nationwide in retailers like Woolworth and Kmart. By 1988, the catalog was even more expansive, even including smaller (18″), battery-operated versions of the figures, each of which had lighted eyes and a spooky sounds. (An intermediate line of figures followed.) The characteristics of the larger Motion-ettes morphed over time to include additional features like lighted heads and “life-like” audio. In 1992, Telco joined forces with Universal Studios to create officially licensed monster Motion-ettes. After this release, the larger, electric figures were phased out. However, the smaller, battery-operated Halloween figures remained in stores through the end of the century. This guide is intended to help you understand the development of the Motion-ette line and identify certain figures you may have seen. If your question isn’t answered here, it may be addressed in our Telco Halloween Motion-ettes FAQ. You may also be interested in our Fair Market Value Guide based upon our ten-year observations.
Editor’s Note: The images on this page are archival images, many of which are over 25 years old. In some cases, there are obvious defects in our particular copies of the images. The Big Scare has done its best to present the best quality Telco stock, promotional, and catalog images for your reference, so as to provide you with the most accurate depiction of the products. All information and images on this page are for educational purposes.
The Original Motion-ettes of Halloween
The first Telco Halloween figures are uniquely different from those that followed. While all early Telco figures featured electric power, motion, and an accessory (usually illuminated), the first wave included figures with single-arm motion as opposed to the more common double-arm movement. The figures were activated by a red button on the base, as opposed to the more common cord rotary switch. Furthermore, the figures had a glossier, shinier finish.
Their accessories were also less standardized and, in the case of the Monster, more elegant. Unlike later versions, the first Monster came equipped with a metal lantern. Other differences include a more Karloffian head-sculpt and a lighter costume. The other figure that experienced a major overhaul from its initial incarnation was the Ghost. The first release looked like the classic “bed sheet” ghoul. Later on, this spook received a glowing jack-o’-lantern head. Its lighted skull accessory was also replaced with a cat (which was illuminated in some figures and not in others). The Scarecrow later received a set of plastic arms and a sculpted head, though the cloth version returned for a brief stint in 1989. The Skeleton only experienced a change of accessories. For the most part, the design of the original Witch remained unchanged throughout the entire run of the line, as did that of the original Vampire. While materials changed and additional features were added, these two were the most steadfast figures in the whole series, though it should be noted that the Vampire was given a range of accessories in addition to the traditional skull and later received a “glowing head.”
Awful Accessories
The Telco series of animated figures was unique in the fact that its figures had a variety of accessories. The most commonly used accessories were skulls, pumpkins, plastic lanterns, and cats. However, broomsticks, canes, pitchforks, and crows/ravens were also added to certain figures. The most unique accessories would have to be the Witch’s crystal ball and the hard plastic bats and cobras (snakes). The bat accessories were actually modeled after Telco’s own animated bat figure.
Chilling Changes
By the time 1988 rolled around, Telco had given most of its original characters makeovers, and it added new designs to the mix. The Vampire Bat, “Wolfman” (Werewolf), Gorilla, and Devil all made their debuts in the 1988 catalog. Each of these figures included a feature new to 24″ Motion-ettes: lighted eyes. Depending on the character, the eyes either glowed red or orange. In addition, Kmart carried an exclusive Witch (with an alternate head sculpt) and the Phantom of the Opera that year. Both were distributed to other retailers the following year. 1988 was also the year that Telco introduced a feature that would later become a staple of the Halloween line: glowing heads. The first figure to feature a fully illuminated head was the newly-designed Ghost Motion-ette. His plastic jack-o’-lantern head turned side to side, while glowing bright orange.
From Bug Eyes to Glowing Heads: Telco Grows Up
By 1989, Telco continued to expand its character offerings, introducing new characters such as the “Flying Wicked Witch” and a Grim Reaper. And while the original six characters remained unaltered from the previous year’s makeover, the 1988 additions each received a new treatment.
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wing eyes on the Devil, Wolfman, and Vampire Bat were all replaced with sculpted eyes, though the resulting “bug eyes” made the characters look “crazed” and “mad,” making these versions less popular than the former glowing-eyed figures and far more rare on the secondary market. While the glowing-eyed beasts can be purchased rather easily, the bug-eyed monsters don’t show up that often, and, when they do, they generally sell for 1.5 to 2 times the amount of their lighted-eye counterparts. The Devil and Wolfman later received glowing heads.
In fact, in 1990, all of the Halloween Motion-ettes debuted with fully illuminated heads. To make the new technology work, most of the figures’ heads were re-cast in lighter-colored plastic. The Vampire and the Phantom of the Opera were now extremely pale, the Monster was now molded in yellow, and the Wolfman became green. (This green “Wolfman” was later renamed the “Beast Man.”) The Witch saw no change, which made the feature rather ineffective. An alternate Witch also received the “glow” treatment. Additionally, a new character was added to the catalog, this one based on the 1925 Universal picture, The Phantom of the Opera. The figure was named “Red Death,” after the sequence in the film and the character in the Edgar Allan Poe short story. By 1991, Telco streamlined its output, reducing the Halloween offerings to the glowing versions of the Witch, Vampire, Monster, and the Grim Reaper character (which now adopted the “Skeleton” moniker). In its final effort to innovate, Telco added “life-like” sounds to its 24″ line. The audio (usually cackling, laughing, or moaning) could be controlled by a switch on the base of the figures.
Inspirations and Imitations
The muse behind the designs of the Halloween figures has always been a bit of a mystery, but it is clear that Telco drew inspiration from images of the classic monsters and assorted Halloween toys that were available at the time. For example, comparing the head sculpts of the Telco Motion-ettes to 1980s Halloween masks is an interesting exercise. The Devil sculpt has a lot in common with the “Be Something Studios” Lucifer mask from 1980. The argument could be made for other characters as well (albeit with different mask companies). But no one will ever really know if Halloween masks were the references used by the Telco team. What is clear, though, is that designs of the Monster, Vampire, and Phantom all appear to be based on the characters portrayed by Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, and Lon Chaney, Sr. respectively, making these innovative figures the first animated Halloween tributes to Horror films.
Because Telco’s idea was so successful, other companies immediately started production on their own lines of animated Halloween figures, all with the same basic features, many with eerily similar character designs, some with totally unique takes. Competitors included Witchtime, Topstone, Rennoc (now Santa’s Best), EPI, and, of course, Gemmy — the current powerhouse in Halloween animation. Additional companies joined the holiday animation war, but they went as quickly as they came.
Something Different
By 1991, the market was so saturated with Halloween animation, Telco decided that it had to do something different. The following year, it joined forces with Universal City Studios to create an official line of Motion-ettes modeled after the Universal Studios Monsters. These Motion-ettes were the first ever animated Halloween figures to be licensed by a movie studio, thus inspiring a trend that would forever change Halloween decorating.
The initial release of the Universal Monsters included the four main characters: Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolf Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. All of the characters received official head sculpts and costumes. They were produced in both electric 21″ (instead of the regular 24″) and battery-operated 18″ formats (There were also 16″ variants). Unlike their generic predecessors, they did not have lighted accessories, but they did include sound. They were widely available at Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Meijer stores, as well as smaller retailers. After the success of the first line, the Bride of Frankenstein and the Mummy were added; though, by this point, Telco’s focus had shifted to the more economical battery-operated 18″ line, making the last two difficult to come by in the larger size. The 21″ version of the Mummy is the rarest of all Motion-ette figures, though he has surfaced on the secondary market. It should also be noted that there were two versions of the Frankenstein Monster produced. The first release came with a bright green paint application, while the second was released in a pasty, grayish green color.
Moving Forward
With so much competition, Telco’s decision to focus on its smaller, battery-operated line was a smart one and kept the Halloween figures in stores through the end of the 1990s. For the most part, the character offerings remained limited. After the Universal line, Telco returned to the traditional generic characters. The 18″ line-up included the Vampire, the Monster, the Skeleton, and two versions of the Witch. (To read more about the small line and the intermediate line, click here.) Telco also released a few unique takes on these characters during this time: a Witch rising from a cauldron and a Grim Reaper rising from a chair. The latter featured some of the most technologically advanced animation in Halloween decorating to that point. It also featured a unique soundtrack with spoken dialogue and sound effects, a huge improvement over the previous “life-like” sound. Telco folded shortly after the start of the new century due to factory problems, but its legacy lives on and today’s Halloween animatronic manufacturers owe Telco everything for paving the way for their success.
Have a question that wasn’t addressed in this guide? Check out our Telco Halloween Motion-ettes FAQ!
The Big Scare 
Do you know where I can purchase decorations like the telco line but that is out today?
CVS Pharmacy and Fred Meyer carry a 2′ line of animated figures similar to the Telco characters.
Thank you I’ve seen some of their Christmas ones and they are always battery operated. Thanks for the help. I try to collect only the plug in telco motionettes. Does anyone know where I can buy them beside eBay?
Unfortunately, electric-powered holiday products are becoming quite rare. Everything seems to run on batteries these days… even lights!
eBay is your best bet for the Telcos, as they don’t pop up too frequently anywhere else. Good luck!
I have several of these dolls. I think I have 8 of them.
Hi there! I just got a used Telco vampire for Halloween! Do you know where the light bulb goes, I don’t see an obvious place for it but I’m assuming it’s in the head? Thanks!
Assuming that it is the illuminated version, there is a bulb inside of the head. In addition, there is a bulb inside of the skull accessory as well.
It’s the vampire in the second series of catalog images. Except mine has a coiled cobra instead of a skull. From what I’ve been able to find, the cobra came from a tuxedo skeleton figure. Unfortunately, the plastic is very dark and the light doesn’t shine through it. Still looks cool just holding the light.
Ed, yours is an amazing score. The Vampire with the Cobra is indeed a legitimate pairing and is very hard to find. In fact, any figure with the Cobra is hard to find! Unfortunately, as you point out, the light does not work all that well in this accessory, which is why — sometimes — you will find hand molds that are not equipped for light bulbs. But yours is, so enjoy it as much as you can.
I have a plastic head 24″ scarecrow, were these single arm motion?
If only one arm on your figure moves, then it is most likely a single-arm-motion figure. The workings of the double-arm motor would generally make it impossible for one arm to move without the other without a noticeable break or droop in the non-moving arm.
I have a pumpkin ghost 24″ electric, and he is holding a lighted black cat. My question is the pumpkin head on mine is wider with a more flat bottom and others I have seen have a more rounded look. Did one come out before the other, what’s the difference?
I believe I know the head you are describing, but could you link to a picture of it, so I have a better idea?
I believe the Dracula Motion-ette is intended to resemble Bela Lugosi, not Christopher Lee. Mr Lee did indeed play Count Dracula in films, but decades later than Mr Lugosi, and not in any film made by Universal.
Thanks for your comment. The original Telco vampire is definitely modeled after the Christopher Lee Dracula Halloween mask that was available at the time. The Universal Dracula figure released in the 1990s was based off of “Dracula” as he appeared in the Universal Monsters style guide of the time. This was after Lugosi, Jr. and Universal had severed relations.
I purchased an old Silverstri Zombi girl that is dated 1973. It was made for a Halloween store window display and is 4 feet tall. She quickly turned side to side at the waist, and her right arm moves quickly up and down and is holding a large black spider. In the other arm she is holding a lighted skull on a chain. There are additional spiders on her outfit, and he lets out a strange shriek that sounds very eerie. I’ve never seen another like her. I also used to own a witch red orange hair that was holding a red apple. We got her in 1976. She moves only one arm, and her head. She had no roll switch on the electric cord. AS soon as you plugged her in, she started moving. The motionette technology has been around a lot longer than the Telcos that started with Christmas figures in the early 1980’s. In the 1950’s my mother says that stores had lots of moving figures, in their window displays, especially for Christmas, so the technology has been around for a very, very long time. On YouTube, you can view a vintage animated doll by Silvestri that looks to be ancient and required oil to run. The zombie girl I have ran with a very old style electric plug, but requires no oil. I wonder when Silvestri started making animated figures? There is nothing about them on the internet like Telco.
Absolutely! Animated figures have been around since the end of the 19th century. They were very common in department store window displays. However, Telco made them commercially available, so everyone can enjoy them!
I own the Telco Glow-Head witch and the face is much lighter colored than the original one with dark skin. It has yellowish-white skin. I own the 1987 vampire, and the 1992 Universal Vampire with Sound. Also a later version of the 1987 vampire that had glowing eyes and spooky laughter from 1990. My favorite ever is the Frankenstein with the plastic lantern. I’ve seen the skeleton, quite a few times, for sale on Ebay, over the years, and it never has the spider in it’s right arm.
Thanks for your comments. We also own the glow-head witch, and her skin is the more traditional tan you see on this page. We would love to see the yellow skin you describe. Feel free to link us to a picture!
That spider is usually always missing. Maybe, one day, you will find one with the spider!
Was wondering if anyone could help out here?
I have an 18in Telco pumpkin headed ghost (with skull in hand, not cat).
This is a plug-in unit, not battery operated.
I simply can’t find any pictures, info, or pricing for this guy.
I can’t tell if this is something extremely rare, or not really.
Another collector told me he had one, but that his unit also made spooky sounds; this unit was not designed for that.
Can anybody help?!
Thanks for reading and any insights!
Josh, it sounds like you have one of the first models in the 18″ line, when they were still running on electric power. The thing about Telco is that they were constantly innovating and creating new designs. It’s really hard to track down all of the variations.
Can’t thank you enough for the response!
Yeah, obviously they were evolving very quickly.
Have you ever seen these 18inch A/C powered models for sale?
I have no clue what something like this guy would be valued at (it’s not on your price guide).
I got him in a lot of three I was buying (it was the others I was interested in), so this was an unexpected find.
Thanks again!
I have. I have actually seen a number of the electric-powered characters in this size now that I think of it, including a white-faced vampire, traditional witch, and a yellow-faced monster. From what I recall, they generally sell in the high double-digits. That was a few years back, though. Enjoy your find!
Hi I love the article. It is perfect for a collector like me. you may or may not know much about the christmas ones but today i got a sleeping mis clause from goodwill for 1.99 and she works and all but she had this thing on her that had a consumer help line address a booklet about other motionettes a envlope and a certifict of owing her do you know if that is of any vale or what should i do with it.
Thanks
Nice find! It’s always good to have original papers even if it’s just for the coolness factor.
Do you know when Telco started making 2 versions of the witch? Was it in the 1990s? I know there was the witch wearing the apron while the alternate version had no apron and wore a cape. For a brief time I think I remember seeing a bulging eye witch in one of the catalogs. Youtube has the catalog in a video and it has the bulging eye witch in it.
The following year in 1988. There was the original witch, the Kmart witch with blue makeup, the witch with the crystal ball, and the witch on the broom. The crystal ball witch and the broom witch had the same face mold, while the original witch and Kmart witches were unique.
Thank you so much for answering my question! I noticed other brands like Gemmy had similar head molds for the witches and the same eerie sound effects. Why do you think that is?
Growing up in a large southern city, Halloween was to party for young adults! We jumped into Telco Motionettes from the beginning when they showed up in specialty stores back then. Several decades later I still decorate my home with them every Halloween simply because I enjoy them and the memories of years past. I had no idea they were of any value or interest to anyone so many years later. Thank you so much for doing your research and writing such an informative article to share with us!
My aunt had/has two of the motion-ettes but they are slightly different from the ones that are pictured. The monster one had the same head mold as the one from the 80s but instead of a lantern, he is holding a candle. The pumpkin ghost was vastly different having more of a orange monster face with green hair, and too has a candle. Do anyone remember which company made those two, been trying to find photos of them online but have not had any luck.
Most people thin there worth hundreds of dollars but you never see then get bought off eBay so i would keep in mind that they aren’t worth over $150 and the witches aren’t worth over $20
Some aren’t worth more than $150, but a number are. Check out our fair market value guide, which tracked SOLD auctions over a ten year period: https://thebigscare.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/telco-halloween-motion-ettes-price-guide/
yeah 2003 to 2013 thats very outdated. i would to 2015 to 2019. Because there sin’t a huge demand for them out now.
The prices in the guide still hold, based on SOLD eBay listings. You are not going to find many figures for less than the minimum prices listed other than Witch, Vampire, and Monster, and a handful of the Universal pieces. The difference on all of those is negligible, and shipping has gone up, meaning any actual difference is off-set. You will also not find a gorilla, devil, werewolf, Bride, Mummy, Red Death, or Skeleton for less than the minimum prices listed. The prices listed were quite conservative for their time, and we stand behind those prices today unless you can show a similar study over a similar period of time to contradict those prices.
I was given two Telco motionettes from a worker friend somewhat recently that I can not find any information online about. They are both from 1992 and released with the Official Universal Studios Monsters line. They have the heads of the Mummy and Creature From The Black Lagoon, as seen on the motion figures, but instead of bodies, it’s just a bell-shaped black plastic base covered in a circular, shiny, black cloth with the characters body printed on it. Green scale-like shapes and white claws for Creature, and a yellow stenciled form for the Mummy. Putting batteries in the working one, the Mummy, causes it to shake, light up the red eyes and make an eerie ooooeeeeoooo sound over and over until it stops. They are both meant to hang from a hook since they have black cords attached to the top of their heads. Any information about these would be helpful. I’d like to sell them. Thanks.
These are “sonic” heads like the “sonic” ghosts produced by rival companies. They go anywhere from $10 to $20 each.
Has anyone ever attempted to replace the bulb inside of the Flying Witch’s pumpkin? Would love some tips before I try…thank you!
The pumpkins are extremely fragile. Your best bet would be a hair dryer to warm and loosen the plastic, and I’m not even sure how successful that would be.
Hair dryer worked perfectly!!! Thank you! Replaced the C7 bulb with an LED… awesome light!
I’m looking for gears for my Dracula for moving his head side to side