3D Printing for Halloween: Whatever Happened to My Transylvanian Twist?

Happy Halloween! This is my absolute favorite holiday—as a longtime theatre volunteer, it should come as no surprise that I enjoy dressing up to become a different person. Plus, when else is it socially acceptable to eat your weight in Tootsie Rolls and Skittles? It’s also the perfect time for some spooky 3D printing projects, whether it’s decorations or even a last-minute costume. To save you some time, I’ve put together a list of fun Halloween-themed prints I curated from a few popular sites. Time to do the Monster Mash and turn on those desktop printers!

halloween – bat cookie cutter

Whether you’re hosting your own Halloween party, or were invited to one and need a snack to share, cookies are always a good plan. Pinshape user joao53 shared this cute bat print, which features both a cookie marker and a cookie cutter. Make sure you use a food-safe filament!

Pumpkin Halloween Pencil

It’s always fun to have favors to hand out at a party, and this Pumpkin Halloween Pencil topper by PEDROEMANUELSANCHEZ from Cults3D definitely fits the bill. Measuring X 40 × Y 40 × Z 44.8 mm, the model prints without supports and is “fast, economical and easy to print.”

“Print unsupported with (at least) 10% infill, preferably in orange PLA. Can be easily scaled for use with different pencil diameters. In the uploaded version the hole is 7.2mm.”

Cute Flexi Print-in-Place Skeleton

Another great party favor is this adorable flexible skeleton, by MyMiniFactory user markarmstrong2. Initially designed as favors for a children’s birthday party, but definitely perfect for Halloween, these were printed out of PLA on a Bambu Lab P1P.

“Tried a couple in fuzzy skin which was a cool result – compromised the joints a bit but can still be fully positioned.”

Flexi Pumpkin Widow Spider (Print in Place)

Speaking of flexible prints, these black widow spiders with articulated legs could also work as a party favor, as well as a great decoration. MyMiniFactory user robingmaurer printed the spiders out of PLA on a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, and says they “have great movement!” Spiders creep me out—too many legs—but even I have to admit that these are kind of cute.

brock Giant Spider (articulated legs)

This huge spider with articulated legs is decidedly not cute, though it makes a great lawn decoration if you want to scare the pants off Trick or Treaters. Pinshape user pdb6251 couldn’t find the kind of spider decoration he was looking for, so he just made his own, designing it to “fit a particular solar LED head” in the underside of its body. This spooky spider is more than two feet across, and the entire assembly snaps together, without the use of fasteners. No supports are needed for any of the parts, and he printed them all in PETG, though suspects PLA or ABS would also work.

“All the joints are articulated with a fine click mechanism so you can move the legs however you want. It is designed for display purposes as opposed to playing with. The main reason I say that is the design is thin and relatively light. To keep the legs spider-like (thin and light) with strong click joints, I ended up with a design that will likely break if you are too rough with it. The click joints are delicate but strong enough to support the spider’s weight and hold its position well.”

Note: this is not a simple or quick project, but if you take the time, it looks like it’s totally worth it.

Cursed Tree Stump!

I really like this fun decoration by Thingiverse Trainer_Guru, who called it a “supernatural stump” for “an unforgettable Halloween experience!” It’s a multipurpose print, as it can be used as a decoration, a candy bowl holder, or even a book stand (with a few edits to the design). Printed out of eSUN’s PLA+ on a Creality Ender 3 at a 0.2 resolution, with 5-10% infill, the stump only requires supports for the eyes and mouth. You can give it “a spooky and mysterious glow” with a yellow LED, electric tea candle, or even a small light bulb, but don’t use a real candle, as it will melt the plastic.

“I used Blender and watched a few videos on making Procedural Tree Bark textures in order to get the right look and then printed it out!”

Imp Horn for Headband

If you need a quick costume, look no further than this fun devil horn headband by Cults3D userHARNELBE. Printed out of red (obviously) ABS filament at 250° with a 0.2 resolution, the horns can be attached by sliding them from the end of the headband to your desired height.

“This is the file for the left horn, so don’t forget to mirror-print the other horn, so that both horns are turned on the same side!!!!”

Ghostbusters logo keychain

Finally, the party has to end sometime, and what better place to hang your car keys from than this 3D printed Ghostbusters keychain by Thingiverse user smintarz? The black back was printed using Geeetech’s matte black filament, while the front of the logo is red PLA+ and matte white by eSUN. The layers for changing the colors are 6 and 12. Who ya gonna call??

Have a safe and happy Halloween, and as always, happy 3D printing!