Autumnal figures are common and popular in New England. Many are home-made, some are bought at farm stands somewhere. Where did they originate? No one knows. It seems as if they have always been here.
We like creating them. It’s fun. They can be any size, any shape. Scarecrows or political figures, Guy Fawkes. Your annoying boss at work. It doesn’t matter. We make them, put them wherever we have room. They make us laugh, smile, remember.
Do these common autumn figures have special meaning? Some kind of spooky history? I doubt it. You’ll see them everywhere you go. On front porches, benches, along driveways. Kids make them. Families create them together.
I made these from left-over clothing. Their heads are from old pillow cases on which the kids drew faces. We left the figures sitting on their bench until the spring.
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Categories: #Photography, Autumn, Blackstone Valley, Nature, New England
IT WILL BE A COLD NIGHT 
A NUTHATCH BEFORE THE WIND AND RAIN 
LATE SEPTEMBER’S STONE FENCES — BUT WHERE’S AUTUMN? – Marilyn Armstrong 
THE HOUSE WITH THE BLUE DOOR AND THE RED TREE 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Never made one before, but they’re not too uncommon around here either. They’re one of the reasons we sell so many mini bales of hay around Halloween time…
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I think I decided to make mine because we were at a farm stand and they had half bales of hay. I got inspired.
These are popular everywhere. They were all over the place in New York, too. I had thought they were more exclusive to New England, but I’m hearing they have them in Tasmania, too … so I guess not!
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Good pics
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Thank you 🙂
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It’s a good idea, but I don’t think it would be popular in Switzerland, someone might complain. It will be Guy Fawkes day on 5th November in England and the kids are already making their „Guys“ to collect money for their fireworks.
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I suspect that Guy Fawkes day was where these things began … that and other harvest festival stuff. But it does seem these show up more in English-speaking countries than elsewhere, so maybe that’s the link.
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We have them here too, in fact one town has a competition every year as part of it’s annual fair. Every year for five years David and i would make the drive down the Channel Highway to see them. I haven’t been since he got sick so I don’t know if they still do it but for five years I got some great photos of them.
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They are really interesting. I thought I was going to find out that these are traditional or something, but apparently at some point, someone made one, then someone else said “good idea” and made more of them. Now, everyone makes them. I only made them once. It turned out to be more work than I expected, but it was fun.
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I guess that is how traditions get started.
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