‘Treehouse of Horror’ gets a 31-day Halloween countdown and merchandise with new Simpsons special
“The Simpsons” is stretching Halloween across the entire month of October this year.
Ahead of the Oct. 25 premiere of “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII,” Disney is celebrating Springfield’s annual nightmare with new horror merchandise, including a Treehouse of Horror countdown calendar packed with 31 days of spooky surprises.
Thirty-six years after “The Simpsons” first invited viewers into its “Treehouse of Horror,” Springfield is heading back inside on the exact same date.
“Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” premieres Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, exactly 36 years after the original Halloween special aired Oct. 25, 1990. The Simpsons has now offered a first look at this year’s installment, while a growing collection of merchandise, food and other Halloween offerings is extending Springfield’s spooky season well beyond the television screen.
Treehouse of Horror XXXVII premieres Oct. 25
Springfield’s annual Halloween nightmare returns Sunday, Oct. 25, with “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII,” and “The Simpsons” has started offering some clues about what is waiting inside this year’s special.
The official teaser promises three stories. Marge gets “a horrifying new perspective on marriage,” Bart and Santa’s Little Helper embark on a “bone-chilling adventure,” and Homer takes a driving lesson that probably won’t go particularly well.
Promotional materials sent ahead of the special provide a few more visual clues. The “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” poster is packed with familiar faces in unfamiliar forms, including a monstrous Homer looming over Springfield, Patty and Selma flying through the sky and a particularly unsettling version of Marge. Kang and Kodos are also back among the chaos.
The date carries some extra Halloween history. The original “Treehouse of Horror” premiered Oct. 25, 1990, meaning XXXVII arrives exactly 36 years later.
That first special established a format that gave “The Simpsons” freedom to step outside its usual continuity for Halloween. Springfield residents could be killed, transformed or terrorized, classic horror stories could be parodied, and everything could return to normal afterward.
Thirty-six years later, the rules still don’t apply inside the treehouse.
36 years of Treehouse of Horror
The first “Treehouse of Horror” contained three stories: “Bad Dream House,” “Hungry Are the Damned” and “The Raven.”
“Hungry Are the Damned” introduced Kang and Kodos, the tentacled aliens who would become closely associated with the annual Halloween specials. “The Raven” put Homer in the role of the narrator in an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, with Bart appearing as the raven.
The Halloween anthology became an annual tradition, eventually adopting Roman numerals in its titles. The numbering doesn’t correspond exactly with the number of years since the first special, which is why 2026 brings “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” on the 36th anniversary of the original.
This year, the celebration can also start well before Oct. 25.
JAKKS Pacific has released a “The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror” Countdown Calendar with 31 numbered compartments to open throughout October. Inside are 1.5-inch figures and accessories inspired by the Halloween specials, with pop-up scenery providing a place to display the collection.
The calendar’s artwork also reaches back to the beginning of the tradition, featuring Homer and raven Bart from “The Raven.”
Disney is putting more horror on the shelf this Halloween
“Treehouse of Horror” is also part of a larger push into the scarier corners of Disney’s catalog this Halloween.
New collectibles include “Treehouse of Horror” versions of familiar Springfield residents, including Skeleton Homer, Skeleton Bart, a patchwork Itchy and Scratchy and Homer’s memorable donut-headed transformation, but in plush form.
Courtesy of Disney Consumer Products
Kidrobot is also returning to Springfield with The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Blind Box Mini Figure Series 2. The new collection features 13 characters from the Halloween anthology, including Homerzilla and the Evil Krusty Doll, along with two rare mystery chase figures. Each blind box contains one approximately 3-inch vinyl figure and is priced at $14.99.
Courtesy of Disney Consumer Products
Beyond Springfield, Disney’s Halloween offerings reach into properties that don’t typically come to mind when someone thinks of Disney merchandise.
The 20th Century Studios catalog opens the door to Alien and Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands.” This year’s offerings include Xenomorph merchandise and collectibles, along with new Edward Scissorhands items. Disney’s classic villains are represented as well, joining the company’s more familiar Halloween collections based on Mickey Mouse, “Hocus Pocus,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and the Haunted Mansion.
The assortment shows just how broad Disney’s Halloween library has become. Cute ghosts and Mickey-shaped pumpkins can share the season with Xenomorphs, Edward Scissorhands and some of Springfield’s strangest creations.
You can even eat your way through Springfield this Halloween
The Halloween takeover doesn’t end on store shelves. Jack in the Box launched a limited-time Treehouse of Horror menu Sept. 10, bringing Krusty-inspired food and Springfield collectibles to participating restaurants nationwide. The promotion also includes six glow-in-the-dark collectible cups.
Springfield, U.S.A. remains open at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood during Halloween Horror Nights. “Treehouse of Horror” has also found its way onto the Halloween Horror Nights menu on both coasts this year. Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando are serving food and drinks inspired by the annual Halloween specials, including doughnut-themed creations that call back to Homer famously selling his soul for a doughnut in “Treehouse of Horror IV.”
Photos by Jeff DePaoli
I’ve tried the Pumpkin Spice Cold Boo at Universal Orlando, a cold brew topped with pumpkin spice cold foam and a sprinkle-covered doughnut hole. The seasonal menus give guests a small taste of what a larger Treehouse of Horror presence at HHN could look like.
From a 31-day countdown and new collectibles to Krusty Burgers on two very different menus, “Treehouse of Horror” has plenty of ways to escape the television this Halloween.
On Oct. 25, it heads back to where the nightmare started — exactly 36 years after viewers first entered the treehouse.
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