Frank

Frank (the guy with the green face) has been coming to visit for quite a few years now... There's nothing quite like seeing his silhouette outside our front door around Halloween time.

I used to take care of a little boy named Elliot while his parents were at work teaching elementary kids. He was three when I began watching him, and Halloween was beyond fantastic to him. It wasn't about the candy necessarily, it was about the characters that came out in books, stores, yards, and even cereal. His enthusiasm was catchy!

Elliot enjoyed all sorts of monsters, but Frankenstein was his favorite. I drew Frankenstein out on paper (and other Halloween characters as well) and hung him up on a wall. I used a coloring book he'd been coloring in at my house, as a guide. He loved it and rewarded me for my efforts by being so incredibly enthusiastic. Before I knew it, I was painting a thin piece of wood and the current Frank was born. He's been properly weathered over the years so he looks like a true monster now.

I asked Elliot why he loved Frankenstein so much and he said, "He's a slow walker." Does that not make you laugh!