Michelle’s Skells Brings a Handcrafted Land of Oz to Life for Skeletons for St. Jude
ONE MONTH ON DISPLAY. A YEAR IN THE MAKING.
BOISE, Idaho — September 2026 — Somewhere between a pile of fabric, a skeleton in ruby slippers and a Flying Monkey waiting in the craft room, Michelle Bain is building Oz—one repurposed piece at a time.
This October, Michelle’s Skells invites visitors to follow the yellow brick road into There’s No Place Like Hope, a handcrafted Wizard of Oz-themed Halloween display supporting Skeletons for St. Jude, a nationwide fundraiser benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At 2724 N Esquire Drive in Boise, visitors will encounter Munchkinland, the Witches’ Castle, Oz, a photo area and more, with skeletal versions of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Glinda, the Wicked Witch, Flying Monkeys, Munchkins and other familiar faces.
Michelle’s Skells is a hobby, not Bain’s full-time job. Around her day job, she spends evenings, weekends and spare hours creating the next October display. The result is one month on display—and essentially a year in the making.
BUILT BY HAND. BUILT WITH REPURPOSED MATERIALS. BUILT TO HELP KIDS.
The work happens piece by piece: sewing costumes, building props and scenery, and searching thrift stores and secondhand sources for materials that can become something entirely different.
“People see the finished display in October, but I’ve usually been working on it in some form for most of the year,” Bain said. “There’s the sewing and building, but there’s also a lot of searching—finding that odd little thing you know can become something completely different. That’s part of the fun for me.”
The handmade approach is also intentional. Bain would rather solve a creative problem herself when she can and put more of her own money toward St. Jude.
“I keep the displays handmade, thrifted and repurposed whenever I can,” Bain said. “I’d rather personally donate more to St. Jude than put that money into things I can figure out how to make myself.”
FROM HALLOWEEN HOBBY TO SOMETHING MORE
In 2023, Bain began using the attention the Skells attract to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through Skeletons for St. Jude. The characters and scenes make people stop, smile and look closer; the fundraiser gives that attention somewhere meaningful to go.
“The Skells are supposed to make people smile,” Bain said. “If all the work that goes into creating them can also get someone to stop for a minute, learn about St. Jude and maybe make a donation, then they’re doing something much bigger than decorating my yard.”
VISIT & SUPPORT
There’s No Place Like Hope
2724 N Esquire Drive, Boise, Idaho
October 1–31, 2026
MichellesSkells.com
Michelle’s Skells is Michelle Bain’s creative Halloween hobby, built around storytelling, skeletons and making things by hand. Since 2023, Bain has used the attention generated by her displays to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through Skeletons for St. Jude. Each annual display is created around her day job, with costumes, scenery and props made, thrifted or repurposed whenever possible.
Additional high-resolution character, behind-the-scenes and finished-display photography is available upon request. Interviews with Michelle Bain are available by request.
