Best Halloween Specials for Kids

We’ve been watching horror movies every week now while I prep another blog post. We always have to be careful though to start after our little one has gone to bed. It raises the question: what’s the best way to share your favorite holiday with your kiddos without completely terrifying them? Read on for some Halloween cartoon specials!

I’ll share the age recommendations for each show, but you know your kids and your comfort level best!

Classics – any age

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown – we own this on DVD but it’s on streaming on AppleTV

My favorite Peanuts special and my favorite Halloween special to watch year after year! I feel like everyone knows this one but if you don’t – Charlie Brown and friends go trick or treating before their Halloween party while Linus convinces Sally to wait with him for the Great Pumpkin!

Muppets Haunted Mansion – Disney+

The Muppets pay a visit to the Haunted Mansion and try to make it through Halloween night! This one is newer and has lots of fun songs!

Looney Tunes (Boomerang subscription or HBO+)

Hair-Raising Hare (Bugs Bunny volume 3 on Boomerang, Season 11 episode 7 on HBO)

Bugs Bunny gets tricked into entering an evil scientist’s castle as a meal for the red monster!

Scaredy Cat (Season 13 Episode 20 on HBO)

Porky Pig and Sylvester move into a spooky mansion! Sylvester seems to be the only one noticing what is going on though.

Satan’s Waitin’ (Season 19 Episode 11 on HBO)

Sylvester runs through his 9 lives while chasing Tweety!

Hyde and Hare (Bugs Bunny volume 4 on Boomerang , Season 20 Episode 2 on HBO)

Bugs Bunny is taken home to be a pet by none other than Dr. Jekyll. Soon after he discovers Mr. Hyde!

Transylvania 6-5000 (Bugs Bunny volume 5 on Boomerang, Season 28 Episode 7 on HBO)

This one is my favorite! Bugs Bunny gets lost and ends up in Transylvania. He ends up thinking the vampire Count Blood Count’s castle is a hotel! He finds a book of spells which helps him get away.

Water, Water Every Hare (Bugs Bunny volume 5 on Boomerang, Season 17 Episode 24 on HBO)

Flooding leads bugs back to the castle where the red monster lives with an evil scientist who wants to steal his brain!

Spongebob Squarepants (on Paramount+ & Amazon Prime) – age 6+

Scaredy Pants, Season 1 Episode 13

The only official Halloween episode, follow Spongebob as he tries to scare everyone else for once!

Shanghaied, Season 2 Episode 13

I figured anything with the ghost Flying Dutchman would get anyone in the spooky spirit. This episode he gets more than he bargained for with Spongebob and Patrick on his crew.

Graveyard Shift, Season 2 Episode 16

My favorite spooky episode of Spongebob and one that legit scared my sister when we were kids. The Krusty Krab is open all night and a fake ghost story Squidward told might end up being true!

Nasty Patty, Season 3 Episode 4

This one is spooky because it gets into the true crime realm. Mr. Krabs and Spongebob think they killed someone….so they go to hide the body!

Bubble Guppies (Paramount+ and Amazon Prime) – preschool age

The Legend of Pink Foot, Season 1 Episode 11

The guppies sit around the campfire and share spooky stories!

Haunted House Party, Season 1 Episode 20

The guppies go to a haunted house party and learn about all things spooky while dressed in cute costumes!

Trick-or-Treat Mr. Grumpfish, Season 4 Episode 14

The guppies create a haunted house to get themselves (and Mr. Grumpfish) into the spooky spirit!

Blue’s Clues (Paramount+) – preschool age

What is Blue Afraid Of?, Season 1 Episode 19

Steve plays Blue’s Clues to find out what’s scaring her! A friendly ghost helps along the way!