Figurines and images of skeletons doing routine things are common inMexico'sDay of the Dead celebration, whereskulls symbolize life and their familiar circumstances invite levity. Highly decorated sugar-skull candy has become one of the most recognizable elements of the celebrations.[6][7] They are known in Mexico ascalacas, aMexican Spanish term simply meaning "skeleton".The modern association between skeleton iconography and the Day of the Dead was inspired byLa Calavera Catrina, a zinc etching created by Mexican cartoonistJosé Guadalupe Posada in the 1910s and published posthumously in 1930.[8] Initially a satire of Mexican women who were ashamed of their indigenous origins and dressed imitating the French style, wearing heavy makeup to make their skin look whiter, it later became a more general symbol of vanity.[9] During the 20th Century, the Catrina entrenched itself in the Mexican consciousness and became a national icon, often depicted infolk art.
The animated skeleton features in someGothic fiction. One early example is in the short story "Thurnley Abbey" (1908) byPerceval Landon, originally published in his collectionRaw Edges.[10] It is reprinted in many modern anthologies, such asThe 2nd Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories andThe Penguin Book of Horror Stories.
An extended battle scene against an army of skeletal warriors was produced by animator Ray Harryhausen forJason and the Argonauts (1963) and is remembered as one of the most sophisticated and influentialvisual effects sequences of its day.[12]
Animated skeletons have been used and portrayed extensively infantasyrole-playing games. In a tradition that goes back to thepen-and-paper gameDungeons & Dragons, the basic animated skeleton is commonly employed as a low-levelundead enemy, typically easy for a player to defeat in combat. Thus, in games which make use of them, such enemies often appear relatively early in the gameplay and are considered a suitable opponent for novice players.[14] In these contexts, they are commonly armed with medieval weapons and sometimes wear armor.
In the PlayStationaction-adventure seriesMediEvil, the protagonist is an animated skeleton knight named Sir Daniel Fortesque.[15]
In the 1999 cult classicPlanescape: Torment,Morte is a character who joins the protagonist on his quest and is essentially a sentient, levitating human skull with intact eyeballs who cracks wise and fights by biting.[16]
In the 2011Minecraft video game, skeletons appear as bow-wielding monsters that shoot players with their bows and burn under the sunlight unless they wear helmets. Sometimes the skeletons spawn with stronger bows or random armor, or can be summoned by players in a world with cheats enabled to wield a melee weapon, or no weapon at all. Variants include the Wither Skeleton, which causes the player'shealth points to wither away, the Stray, a frozen variant found in snowy biomes, and the Bogged, apoisonous variant found inswamp andmangrove swamp biomes. In the spinoff gameMinecraft Dungeons, there also exists a variant that acts as the guards of The Nameless One, anecromancerboss enemy and the king of the undead. In this form, they are equipped with glaives, shields, and iron armor, and are referred to as Skeleton Vanguards.
In the video gameFable III, there exist a race of antagonal characters called "hollow men" which are featured throughout the game.
TheMario series has someKoopa Troopa-skeleton themed enemies known asDry Bones, where after they get hit, they return to their form.Bowser also has a skeleton form known asDry Bowser, debuted inNew Super Mario Bros., and featured in other games such asMario Party andMario Kart.
The Legend of Zelda series features an enemy called Stalfos, armed skeletons who serve as regular enemies and occasionally as minibosses. Variations such as Stalkids and Stalblins also appear in various games in the series.
InHeroes of Might and Magic 3, skeletons are recruitable troops from the Town Necropolis.
^Paffenroth, Kim; Morehead, John W. (2012). ""Can These Bones Live Again?": Theological Considerations of the Zombie Walk".The Undead and Theology. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 112–120.ISBN9781610978750.
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