Thinking about Halloween decoration

I and my region don't really celebrate and the whole pandemic is another wrench in spoopy season, but I thought I might try to make some paper decoration for my door, just because.

Of course I can't just do the normal shit, so I was looking around in different areas. Japan had a big boom in interest in yôkai 妖怪 in the Edo and Meiji - this wasn't ethnology interest only, but to criticise the government, which is not as fun as japanese monsters and goes missing as context when popular discussion in western media happen. Yôkai and japanese ghost stories got popularised by Lafcadio Hearn's story collection Kwaidan in the English speaking parts of the world - might even be the US only, I sadly don't know the reach. They are old enough to be copyright free, so anyone can read them. On the downside, the "translations" weren't only translations but often his own stories, so I will steer clear of him.

Anyway, from Japan I think I will try for a ushi'oni or gyûki 牛鬼 which is as a short hand a spider with an ox head. I could fuse it with the Magnus Archives Good Cows (tm) and go for a fluffy highland cattle base? I will see if I can execute that.

Searching for unique german spooky creatures is a bit harder because they aren't as visually distinctive imo. Options like the Roggenwolf (rye or grain wolf) are wolves living in grain fields or Moosweibchen are little female spirits dressing in moss. In short, there is lore, but not really a clear visible signal of a supernatural creature.

Instead, I think an easier demonic target is needed: a buer, the total goofy looking five goat leg wheel with a lion head that teaches STEM and ethics. At least they know how to be visibly striking.