Chupacabra (Spirit Halloween)

The chupacabra (Spanish for “goat sucker”) is a cryptid whose origins can be traced back to1995, when in Puerto Rico livestock began turning up dead, drained of blood, and possessing puncture wounds. Eyewitnesses described a bipedal creature, with large red eyes, spines running down the back, hairless skin, and standing 3-4’ (0.9 to 1.2 m) tall. In his book Tracking the Chupacabra, Benjamin Radford claims that the chupacabra was possibly inspired by the movie Species, which came out in 1995 and stars a similar looking creature. More recently, however, the chupacabra has taken on the appearance of a hairless dog-like animal with bluish-gray skin. This version of the chupacabra is most prevalent in the southwest United States and can be easily explained away as various canid species suffering from mange. The transformation of the chupacabra from a bipedal alien-like creature to a hairless dog has been an interesting one.

Today we’re looking at the latex chupacabra decoration sold by Spirit Halloween (a seasonal Halloween store in the United States). I saw this thing in-store and was immediately taken by it, but unwilling to spend $60 on it. After much deliberation it was actually my wife that decided to buy it online with the use of a 20% off coupon. We both decided it would look great in our taxidermy and oddity filled home, not as a Halloween decoration but as permanent home décor. Yes, our home is an eccentric one.

This chupacabra blends together the two versions of the creature, being overall dog-like but still possessing characteristics of the alien-like version, such as the spines along the back and red eyes. It’s rather large, standing 14” (35.56 cm) tall and 21.5” (54.61 cm) long (3’ if you count the curve in the tail). It’s about the size of a fox.

The creature is more spooky and menacing than it is realistic but it’s a Halloween prop above all else. The teeth are bared and the muzzle curled up in a snarl. The brow is furrowed, and the ears have various cuts and nicks along the edges. The build is gaunt and sickly looking, with a shrink-wrapped face and a sunken chest. The humped back is arched with indentations between the spines. The body is covered in pot marks and missing bits of skin, and you can even see some exposed ribs and underlying musculature. I guess it’s a zombie chupacabra. Personally, although I like the figure overall, I could have done without the skin rotting off.

The entire body is painted blushing-gray, matching descriptions of the creature, but this also includes the spines, ribs, and exposed muscles. I would have preferred it if these bits were painted but since the paint application on the mostly white teeth is pretty bad maybe it’s better this way. The nose and inside of the ears are pink, the eyes and tongue are red, and the claws are black.

This chupacabra is definitely a decoration and not a toy and appears quite delicate. It seems like it would be easy to just snap a leg off and the latex stretched over the body feels thin, like it could be easily torn or punctured. I worry about the long-term durability of it, especially for those that will be storing it away during the Halloween off-season.

The Spirit Halloween chupacabra is a unique showstopper of a piece in any monster or cryptid collection. I like that it blends two versions of the creature together, as well as its large size, and attention to detail. I don’t really like the chunks of missing skin, in part because the exposed internal anatomy is not painted, and I question its durability. Its high price tag is somewhat of a turnoff, but I think it’s worth it if you’re into this kind of thing. As someone that was well into cryptozoology when the chupacabra hit the scene and has witnessed its various transformations in pop culture over the last 30 years, I’m quite happy to have this quirky fella standing watch in my home. Oh! Look at that, this is the 30-year anniversary of the chupacabra! Anyway, this cryptid canid is available on Spirit Halloween’s website, try to get a 20% off coupon while you’re there, it might involve signing up for email notifications.