Last October, Lewis the Pumpkin Ghoul took Halloween by storm, capturing the hearts of Halloween lovers everywhere with his towering good looks and sassy sayings. ("I am not a jack-o-lantern. My name is Lewis." ring any bells?) From appearances in national news outlets to nearly 34 million views of the #MyNameIsLewis hashtag on TikTok, our 8-foot-tall Lewis made his mark in a big, not-very-scary way ... and sold out in the first week. Even celebs and famous bands got in on the fun, sharing Lewis content on their social media platforms.

Now Lewis is back, returning for a second Halloween season and making Target history - it's the first time we've reprised a large-scale Halloween character. (After his star turn last year, how could we not bring him back?)

And new for this season, our giant pumpkin king has a few new friends in tow.

We are chilled to introduce:

You can shop for Lewis & Friends now on Target.com, and they'll be haunting Target stores in late August. Why so early? Consumers tell us they want to start shopping and planning their Halloween decor as soon as July. (According to the National Retail Federation, of those who celebrate Halloween, 77% plan to purchase new decorations, and half plan to shop early.)

"We loved seeing how much joy Lewis brought to families last Halloween, so we're thrilled to announce that not only is he returning, but he's bringing new friends," says Jill Sando, Target's executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of apparel & accessories, home and hardlines. "This is Target at its best, delivering surprise-and-delight moments and even more newness. And Lewis & Friends are so excited to help consumers celebrate, they're not waiting until October."

Stay tuned ... there's more ghoulish Halloween news and inspo ahead.

Scaring up some fun

Looking for Halloween inspiration? Target's Hyde + EEK! Boutique has everything you need, including decor, costumes and more.