Colors Solve the “Monster Mash” Mystery

The “Monster Mash” caught on in a flash, but is it really a Halloween hit? Nowhere in the song does it mention Halloween buzzwords like “Trick or Treat,” “Ghosts and Goblins,” or “A witch and her broomstick.” All we know about the song is that it was a graveyard smash.

This month, Segmation is on a mission to find out if “Monster Mash” was a Halloween hit or a Frankenstein inspired tune. Was the song released in August 1962 so it could reach the top of the Billboard charts by Halloween, or was it just a coincidence?

A reason why Bobby Pickett’s song, “Monster Mash” provokes this question is because the lyrics do not mention anything about Halloween. More so, traditional Halloween colors aren’t apparent in the single’s album cover.

To explore this mystery, Segmation is using colors to solve the case.

Halloween Colors

What colors come to mind when thinking of Halloween? Orange and black, of course.

It is believed that these colors have been put in place because of what they represent. Orange is the color for autumn – leaves turn orange and seem to cast this shade throughout neighborhoods and countryside. This is most prevalent when the sun shines. If the sun is not out then skies are overcast. With summer over, dark days are approaching. Halloween black is used to represent this reality.

The History of Halloween Colors

Two historical sources also confirm that orange and black are Halloween colors.

Celtics and the Druids ­used to conduct after life ceremonies by burning orange, beeswax candles and using black cloths to cover caskets.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that, when applied to a living environment, brings peace and solace. According to Feng Shui, orange and black exist at opposite ends of the energy spectrum. Orange is warm and full. Black, on the other hand, is mysterious and empty.

According to tradition and history, the colors represented on the “Monster Mash” album cover do not promote Halloween at all. There are some additional colors to explore before confirming this graveyard smash was just another Billboard 100 hit.

The Other Colors of Halloween

If orange and black were the only colors of Halloween, the holiday season would seem dull. This is the day of the dead, after all. Colors that symbolize death include: red for blood, green as the eerie color of decay, purples to signify mysticism and supernatural happenings, and white to reflect life after death in ghost and mummies, as well as the full moon.

Taking the other colors of Halloween into account, it seems completely appropriate to consider “Monster Mash” a Halloween song. While not using the obvious colors of Halloween, the album cover proves that this is, in fact, a holiday tune.

Snap your fingers, get in costume, and listen to the graveyard smash. Common’ everybody – do the Monster Mash.

Happy Halloween, from Segmation.

Read more Segmation blog posts about Halloween Art:

Ideas for Creating Halloween Spirit

Ideas for Creating Halloween Art

Halloween Scenes

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How did the yellow school bus come about anyways?

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Love it or hate it, yellow is here to stay. The color wheel’s brightest shade can be seen on the road every day. But neither cars nor trucks have the unique yellow paint jobs that belong to school buses. How did the yellow school bus come about anyways? And why are school buses still being painted this shade?

History of the Yellow School Bus

Knowing the colorful history of yellow school buses sheds light on this timeless tradition. The lineage of the school bus dates back to the 1930s when a man by the name of Frank Cyr conducted an in depth study of student transportation vehicles throughout the United States.

At the beginning of his research, Cyr, a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, was observing school buses that cost (on average) $2,000. Quickly he found out that these vehicles had little in common. Various manufacturers, schools, and districts used different buses.

This inspired him to call a conference of educators in spring 1939. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a standard protocol for school buses. The end result was a 42 page manual that discussed the ins and outs of the school bus. In this manual, the color was declared: national school bus chrome.

National School Bus Yellow

In 2010, the questionable use of “chrome” was exchanged for “yellow”. Still, the color seen on school buses today was the color decided at the conference over seven decades ago. The precise shade of yellow was taken so seriously, that a committee was appointed just to decided which one of 50 shades of yellow would appear on the school bus.

Why has the Color not Changed?

Once national school bus yellow was decided, it became a nationwide mandate. One of the original reasons for the broad directive was because school bus manufacturers “had to have different booths to spray-paint them.” More so, the color became a universal symbol of student transportation.

In fact, most Americans have been raised in environments where yellow school buses shuttle children to and from school. It is hard to imagine life without them.

Source:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/why-are-school-buses-yellow-a-teachers-college-professor-said-so/

If you enjoyed this Segmation blog post, you are sure to love:

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https://segmation.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/all-about-yellow-pigments/

– Sunflowers are Summer’s Glory

https://segmation.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/sunflowers-are-summers-glory/

– Art and Science – A Genius Combination

https://segmation.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/paint-by-number-art-and-science-a-genius-combination/

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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