VIRAL: Golden Girls Super Fan Creates Halloween Version “The Golden Ghouls”
We know we're in the land of Golden Girls fans here in the bluegrass. One Golden Girls super fan recently went viral on Facebook with her Halloween version of The Golden Girls...Y'ALL meet The Golden Ghouls.
If you're a true Golden Girls fan when you meet another one you instantly bonded. I met Hillary this week on social media when another friend of mine, Erinn Williams, tagged me in a Facebook post from Hilary. I saw it and instantly knew I had to be her friend. I discovered Hilary was a major fan and she had created the most epic Halloween-themed decorations for her house EVER.
When I asked Hillary why she decided on this theme here is what she told me;
I have always been a fan of the Golden Girls because of its message of friendship and inclusivity. And because it’s just downright hilarious and has stood the test of time! I remember watching it with my grandma when I was young. I’ve probably seen every episode dozens of times. It has always been a comfort for me, and I have found myself doing impromptu marathons when I am stressed or need some humor. My husband was actually in charge of bringing the DVDs (before streaming) to the hospital when we had our daughter so we could watch it while we waited. My friend's joke is that it’s easy to get me gifts because Golden Girls paraphernalia is a go-to. In fact, for my law school graduation, my sister wrote a 6-page letter to Betty White asking for her autograph describing what the show meant to me, and she replied! She sent a signed picture, which is one of my most prized possessions. So when I tried to think of a theme to decorate for Halloween, there was only one natural choice! My neighborhood has an extreme level of Halloween spirit. There have even been local news stories on the level of detail and creativity that is involved in some of the decors. The mayor has even come out some years to judge house decorating contests. Whole streets will coordinate their themes - such as the pirate houses or the ghost town or houses based on popular culture. In past years, I had put out some cute pumpkins and witch hats, but I had not committed to that level of participation. However, after the last year or two that were frankly rough for everyone, I was excited to get creative and have a fun focus. I remembered a shirt I had seen when my sister and I went on a Golden Girls fan cruise (Golden Fans at Sea) in early 2020. It was just a few weeks before everything shut down, and the memories I made and fellow fans I met on the cruise brought me joy during the most challenging parts of 2020 and 2021. People would wear their favorite Golden Girls shirts during the cruise, and I remember one person had a shirt with zombies that said “the Golden Ghouls.” I thought the title would be the perfect theme for a Halloween Golden Girls display, but I wanted to make sure to keep it upbeat and cheerful, and not creepy or scary. So, I decided to use skeletons dressed in real vintage 80s clothing with wigs instead of any sort of zombie motif. I had so much fun looking through thrift stores to find the perfect outfits with my friend (who is aptly named Rose!). It was really important to me to stay as true to each character as possible. I found myself creating a bust of tin foil for Rose (to make her curvier) and performing surgery on a plastic skeleton (Sophia) so that she would appear more petite than the rest. I especially enjoyed coming up with Golden Girls Halloween puns (with some input from my sister). Mostly, my goal was to pay tribute, in a respectful but humorous way, to four amazing women that have been such an inspiration and source of humor to me throughout my life and to recreate some of the positivity and connections I made on the cruise. While I know some people won’t immediately get the references, my hope is that many adults will appreciate the theme and introduce their families and young adults to the show who may not have seen it. After all, there is no greater showing of love than sharing the Golden Girls!
You see Hillary is the ultimate Golden Girls Fan and now without further ado, I introduce you to The Golden Ghouls!