SAT ยท OCT 31, 2026
Bragging about spooky season superheroes
This week: Are these the coolest humans on the block this Halloween?? ๐ป. Spooky season superheroes, bragged about by the creator of CatGPT.
Happy Meow-loween, humans! Adam here ๐ป
This week we're bragging about 3 Halloween superheroes ๐:
 | Nathalie Chabas, a techy 9-year-old who gave a Home Depot skeleton an AI brain ๐ so he can chat with trick-or-treaters |
 | Nate Taylor, a dad who turned his front yard into a haunted attraction ๐ธ๏ธ then found himself fighting his own city's lawyers to keep it open |
 | Anthony Cabrera, who turned his garage into a haunted house that buys Christmas presents ๐ for kids in the hospital |
Did you know the first jack-o'-lanterns weren't pumpkins at all? Back in the 1800s, people in Ireland carved turnips to scare off spirits ๐๐ฅ (yes, really!!)
Every generation brings new tools to Halloween. Ours brought tech. And depending on who you ask, that makes it either the scariest monster of 2026, or the best trick-or-treat sidekick ever.
Make sure to read 'til the end... YOU get to pick this week's winner!! ๐ณ๏ธ
๐ LAST WEEK'S WINNER
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 | Let's get into today's bragging! โ Adam |
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Psstโฆ don't forget to vote on who wins this week's bragging rights at the end! ๐ป
Bragging ABOUT:
A Home Depot skeleton with an AI brain that chats with trick-or-treaters ๐
This year, nearly half of Americans (47%!!) are using AI ๐ค to help with Halloween... but mostly to brainstorm costume and decorating ideas ๐ง๐น
Other ambitious humans like Nathalie Chabas (a 9-year-old girl from Alameda, California) are taking their Halloween plans a step furtherโฆ using AI!! She used Claude to make a cheap, store-bought skeleton chat with trick-or-treaters, and it's already been covered by CBS, AOL, and Bored Panda. You gotta check this out ๐๐
| [WATCH] Say "trick or treat" to Uncle Murray โ |
Pretty cool!!
At first Nathalie's dad, Jim Chabas, thought it couldn't be done. But Nathalie wasn't taking no for an answer. She figured out which wires moved the skeleton's arms and which ones lit up his eyes. Then she gave him a brain (a tiny computer about the size of a cookie!), a microphone, and AI to come up with repliesโฆ and jokes!
Now when you walk up to "Uncle Murray" on Nathalie's porch, his eyes ๐ glow red and he answers you in ~1 second while stirring his neon green drink ๐ง๐น How cool!!
When Nathalie brought him home, Uncle Murray only knew three sentences. Now he's cracking jokes and even made up his own backstory (he says he fell down the stairs one too many times ๐น๐).
Nathalieโฆ way to go!! ๐๐๐
At first Nathalie's dad, Jim Chabas, thought it couldn't be done. But Nathalie wasn't taking no for an answer. She figured out which wires moved the skeleton's arms and which ones lit up his eyes. Then she gave him a brain (a tiny computer about the size of a cookie!), a microphone, and AI to come up with repliesโฆ and jokes!
Now when you walk up to "Uncle Murray" on Nathalie's porch, his eyes ๐ glow red and he answers you in ~1 second while stirring his neon green drink ๐ง๐น How cool!!
When Nathalie brought him home, Uncle Murray only knew three sentences. Now he's cracking jokes and even made up his own backstory (he says he fell down the stairs one too many times ๐น๐).
Nathalieโฆ way to go!! ๐๐๐
Bragging ABOUT:
An everyday dad vs. his โNeighborhood Karenโ who tried shutting down his Halloween display
Every October, a quiet street in Traverse City, Michigan fills up with towering skeletons, animatronic monsters, and somewhere between 300 to 400 visitors a day.
Nate Taylor started "Dead Ends on Spruce" (a walk-through haunted yard at his house) in 2017 with three truckloads of decorations from Craigslist ๐ธ๏ธ๐
Nate Taylor started "Dead Ends on Spruce" (a walk-through haunted yard at his house) in 2017 with three truckloads of decorations from Craigslist ๐ธ๏ธ๐ | [WATCH] Enter if you dare? โ |
Except this year, the scariest thing on Nate's block was a letter from the city's lawyers (oh no!! ๐), after a neighbor accused him of running a for-profit business. The city's rules included a limit of eight visiting cars a day... a pretty big problem for a haunted attraction welcoming hundreds of people.
Would this city violation be the end of Dead Ends on Spruce? Not this year! Three lawyers reached out offering to represent him, and the attraction is now drawing record crowds (the city itself estimated 18,000 to 21,000 visitors this October!!).
Even better, the city is helping block off the street tonight so visitors can safely enjoy the show. This will be the last season at Nate's house, but he's already hunting for a new home for the haunt.
Talk about a plot twist! ๐
Other Halloween homeowners haven't been quite so lucky. Earlier this month, an Ohio family canceled its own haunted house after their township mailed them a 148-page packet (!!) of violation notices ๐
Way to go Nate for staying calm, keeping it open to everyone, and getting the city on your side... you're worth bragging about!! ๐๐๐
Would this city violation be the end of Dead Ends on Spruce? Not this year! Three lawyers reached out offering to represent him, and the attraction is now drawing record crowds (the city itself estimated 18,000 to 21,000 visitors this October!!).
Even better, the city is helping block off the street tonight so visitors can safely enjoy the show. This will be the last season at Nate's house, but he's already hunting for a new home for the haunt.
Talk about a plot twist! ๐
Other Halloween homeowners haven't been quite so lucky. Earlier this month, an Ohio family canceled its own haunted house after their township mailed them a 148-page packet (!!) of violation notices ๐
Way to go Nate for staying calm, keeping it open to everyone, and getting the city on your side... you're worth bragging about!! ๐๐๐
Bragging ABOUT:
A real-life Jack Skellington who funds Christmas for hospitalized kids ๐๐ฒ
When Anthony Cabrera was growing up, there wasn't much to go around, sometimes not even Christmas presents. He's not alone either: in one survey from 2025, 79% of Americans said they were worried about having enough money for holiday gifts ๐๐ฟ But one night a year, none of that mattered to Anthony. "Halloween was the great equalizer," he says ๐ Rich kid or poor kid, everyone who knocked on a door got candy ๐ป. Kinda sweet, right?
| [WATCH] Walk through Anthony's haunted garage ๐ โ |
Much like the doorsteps he remembers, this Mableton, Georgia haunt doesn't charge admission. Anthony's family instead puts $1 for every visitor toward presents for kids at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and visitors add donations on top. Last year their grand total came to almost $35,000 in gift money for kids in the hospital (that's enough for 2,405 gifts!!)
Anthony spends about 500 hours a year building his haunted houseโฆ on top of his day job as a corporate lawyer. Now this year is the last year ever for Anthonyโs haunted house (tonightโs the final night!). After 14 years, he and his wife are retiring it so they can celebrate their anniversary, which falls on Halloween week ๐
Happy anniversary, Anthonyโฆ you've more than earned the night off ๐๐๐
Anthony spends about 500 hours a year building his haunted houseโฆ on top of his day job as a corporate lawyer. Now this year is the last year ever for Anthonyโs haunted house (tonightโs the final night!). After 14 years, he and his wife are retiring it so they can celebrate their anniversary, which falls on Halloween week ๐
Happy anniversary, Anthonyโฆ you've more than earned the night off ๐๐๐
Now it's your turn to vote!
Who gets ultimate bragging rights this week?Last week, Ben and Bud took the crown ๐ This week, itโs back up for grabs ๐ |
Bragging you can do this weekend:
You don't need an AI-powered skeleton, animatronic monsters, or a haunted garage to have a memorable Halloween. Sometimes the best Halloween magic comes from the little things:
Visit a neighborhood haunted house. Bonus points if it's raising money for a good cause!
Bring some treats for people who canโt make it out. Swing a candy bag by an older neighbor who canโt do the stairs anymore (Uncle Murray can relate lol).
Get creative with your costume. The weirder, the better. (We're looking at you, giant inflatable dinosaurs ๐น๐ฆ).
And speaking of costumes...
Here's a fun one:
Hit reply with a photo of your Halloween costume this year (or last year). We might give your costume its own โbragging rightsโ in next weekโs edition! ๐บย ๐งกย
 Adam Bragg |
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 Bragging about cool stuff humans are doing on the internet. |
