How a Charlotte man created this season’s hit Halloween decoration at Lowe’s
A Charlotte man is the brains behind the bones of creation for “The Party Skeleton,” one of this year’s top-selling Halloween decorations at Lowe’s home improvement stores.
The 3-foot animatronic skeleton wears purple and orange headphones, gloves and sneakers. His ribs, eyes and feet glow as the motion- and sound-activated skeleton pops to life dancing to the beat of the music.
“It’s been one of the highlights of my career,” said Amanual Coleman, 35. “People took time to not only make it but people want to buy it. That’s really humbling.”
Coleman started working at Lowe’s 10 years ago as a cashier at the Concord store. Since 2015, he’s been a merchandising facility coordinator at Lowe’s design center in Troutman.
Coleman isn’t on the Mooresville-based chain’s design team but was given a chance to pitch his ideas. From over 70 designs Coleman created, The Party Skeleton made the cut, fitting Lowe’s theme of “whimsical, but still in the Halloween spirit.”
The motion-activated dancing skeleton is cute and fun, said ClayVon Lowe, Lowe’s senior director of product design and trends.
Lowe’s has its own design team for its private brand and works with vendor partners. Lowe learned about Coleman’s art background and offered him the opportunity to put his game and interactive media design bachelor’s degree from Living Arts College in Winston-Salem to work.
Making a best-seller for Lowe’s
Coleman’s journey with the creature started in 2023, from idea to production involved rounds of feedback, color swatch matching and cost checks. It took Coleman over a week to sketch and plan the design, thinking about how it would move and other factors.
“I kind of learned as I went,” Coleman said.
The indoor skeleton has 640 multicolor LED lights and a 10-foot power cord.
The Party Skeleton has become a top-seller, sold only at Lowe’s stores nationwide, since going on display in August. Lowe’s declined to provide sales figures. It’s priced at $99.98.
Lowe’s operates over 1,753 stores and has about 300,000 workers, mostly hourly. Lowe’s has about 11,000 employees in the Charlotte region, including 5,000 corporate workers.
The first time Coleman saw his finished product was while visiting a Lowe’s store with relatives.
“So many people were looking at it and dancing with it,” Coleman said. “That was wonderful to see.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
