A Wisconsin couple ordered by city officials to take down two towering Halloween-style skeletons from their yard has won an unexpected reprieve.
Sean Oster and his wife, Laura, of South Milwaukee, were notified in May that their property had several code violations that had to be addressed by July 7 or they could face fines of $500 a day.
Among the cited issues was their eye-catching display featuring two enormous 12-foot skeletons, which had become a talking point in the neighborhood.
The oversized figures, affectionately named Hector and Henrietta, are known for being dressed up in outfits that change with the season.
In recent photos, the pair were seen decked out in red, white and blue, wearing flag-inspired looks for the Fourth of July.
South Milwaukee officials had argued the massive decorations were on display “not during the appropriate time of the year,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sean has since said the city closed the complaint, clearing the way for the much-discussed skeletons to stay where they are.
The original complaint also referenced inoperable vehicles, tires and gas-powered equipment on the property — items Sean admitted were there, though he objected to officials describing them as “junk.”
Sean and Laura Oster, who live in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were told that they had until July 7 to remove two 12-foot-tall skeletons from their yard or face daily $500 fines
Sean Oster said everyone had been ‘really nice and supportive’ of the massive skeletons until the city government notice in May
The Osters set up the first skeleton in their front yard shortly after moving to South Milwaukee in July 2024, according to the outlet.
Sean explained that his wife loves Halloween – and that was their reasoning behind the massive skeleton.
The second spooky creature was added to the couple’s yard about a year later.
Sean said he bought it for a good price after it was damaged in a storm, then fixed the skeleton himself.
‘The public named them, we didn’t,’ he told the outlet last month.
Eventually, the skeletons grew so popular that Oster even set up a Facebook page to display their various costumes they sported during the year.
But the letter from South Milwaukee’s inspection department said that their large Halloween decorations were not being displayed ‘during the appropriate time of the year,’ per the outlet.
Sean claimed that he had never received any complaints about the skeletons before the letter was sent to him.
‘Everyone else has been really nice and supportive, then all of a sudden this came at us,’ he said.
The skeletons are nicknamed Hector and Henrietta, which Oster said was thanks to the community that had taken a liking to the towering Halloween-style creatures
Oster said that his wife, Laura (pictured), loves Halloween, which is why the first of the two skeletons was originally set up in their South Milwaukee front yard
The unusual situation involving the massive skeleton decorations captured the attention of the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit law firm which touts its mission as securing the ‘constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams.’
On Monday, the firm sent a letter to the South Milwaukee city government to express concern that the Osters possible inability to decorate their own lawn with ‘whimsical skeletons’ violated the First Amendment.
The Institute for Justice said the skeletons were not just ‘protected speech, but they’re also just harmless fun.’
‘Hector and Henrietta aren’t hurting anyone,’ the letter continued.
Jimmy Odell, the attorney who wrote the letter, claimed that the Osters would not have been facing a punishment had they ‘swapped out their skeletons for a bald eagle display for the Fourth of July.’
‘This is punishment based on the content of their speech, which is as clear of a First Amendment violation as they come,’ Odell said.
Oster said that he appreciated the support for he and his wife as they fought back against the complaints regarding the skeletons.
‘Having the Institute for Justice behind us combined with the public support, we were able to overcome and continue the tradition,’ he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The city of South Milwaukee said on Wednesday that the skeletons ‘were just one’ of the ‘many issues’ they had noted
On Wednesday, the city of South Milwaukee released a statement saying it ‘values the character and creativity of its neighborhoods [and] does not regulate how a resident chooses to decorate a home.’
It said that the notice issued for the Osters’ home sought to address ‘many issues’ and that the skeletons ‘were just one of them.’
‘Others included inoperable vehicles, stored tires, and gas-powered equipment kept in the yard,’ the statement continued.
It added that the ‘accumulation of junk materials on the exterior property are health, safety, and neighborhood-upkeep concerns.’
South Milwaukee authorities said the property had been reinspected and brought into compliance by ‘removing the accumulation of the junk materials and vehicle storage violations.’
The statement confirmed that the matter concerning the Osters’ property had been closed.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Osters, South Milwaukee city government and the Institute for Justice for comment.
