Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Ljeonida Mulabazi

‘I bet they have it printed out’: Alabama dad took his kids to Spirit Halloween. He was so freaked out, he wrote his congressman

Spirit Halloween is supposed to be fun-scary. Fake blood, animatronics that scream, and a few Michael Myers masks. But for one Alabama dad, it was more than he could handle. 

In a now-viral TikTok with over 2.6 million views, creator Kara Brooke (@karabrooke17) shares the moment she and her friends burst into laughter after a friend revealed what her husband did years ago during Halloween.

“Making fun of her husband who WROTE OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE about the Spirit Halloween store,” she wrote in the on-screen caption.

What follows is a chaotic living room with four people wheezing as the wife tries to tell the story. 

‘It Was So Grotesque’

 Through waves of laughter, the man at the center of the story eventually explained what happened himself.

“I took my nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son to Spirit Halloween,” he began. “So they could get, like, a Sonic the Hedgehog Halloween costume.”

But once inside, he claimed the displays were anything but kid-friendly.

He pauses, then says, “So yes, I wrote Representative Chuck Fleischmann.”

The room erupted again.

The dad said he genuinely thought about how disturbing it must have been for kids just trying to shop for innocent costumes—like Sonic or maybe a pumpkin.

He explained that when he was younger, “there was a curtain section” at the video store. “The kids couldn’t go.” His pitch was that Spirit Halloween should do something like that, too.

“Couldn’t we do that?” he asked. “Instead of putting all the scary stuff right in the front of the store?”

More laughter continues. 

“Couldn’t we just partition off the adult things?” he continued. “Because my kids were disturbed. And you don’t wanna write like, the manager. What’s the manager gonna do?”

He claimed he was trying to help not just his own children, but others too. “I realize it’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” he admitted. “That was like three years ago. Ancient history. That’s old me.”

His wife added, “The only political action he’s ever taken.”

Yes, You Can Write a Congressman

It’s totally legal, and encouraged, to write to your elected officials. Every congressional district has a representative in the House, and each state has two senators. Even U.S. territories and D.C. have non-voting delegates.

Constituents can write in to express concerns or advocate for change. Most of the time, staff members read the letters, tally the issues, and share stats with the representative. A particularly strong letter might even get read directly.

Whether they respond is another story. But in this case, it’s not clear if Fleischmann ever replied. 

@karabrooke17 @Crystal Clack Alley said “I bet they have it printed out and read it in their monthly meetings” ??? @Rob Alley is just out here trying to be a protective father figure to the masses ??? @tayhill8 & I could not stop laughing hahahahaha #spirithalloween #spookyseason #october #lol #funnyvideos ♬ original sound – Kara Brooke

Commenters Thought It Was Hysterical

TikTok commenters loved every second of it. Several even admitted to similarly funny attempts at public action.

“My mom wrote our governor and asked why she couldn’t get her hair done but the men could golf,” one said.

Another added, “I caught my husband emailing McDonald’s to tell them the Coke is always flat.”

Someone asked the question everyone was probably thinking: “Sir, was the manager unavailable?”

And one person joked, “Skipped the whole organization and went to the STATE.”

The Mary Sue has reached out to Kara Brooke and Spirit Halloween for comment. 

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.