Halloween Haunt: Electrical Engineer Sells Animatronics to National Chains

Mitch Maritato, an electrical engineer in Germantown, Wisconsin, has expanded his family’s annual Halloween display into a nationwide supply business for major retailers. The company now sells custom animatronics to franchise stores, including Spirit Halloween, which distributes the creations across the country.

Maritato began by combining his technical expertise with a long-standing family tradition of decorating for trick-or-treaters. Over the last two decades, he evolved from a local hobbyist into an inventor who designs mechanical figures for commercial use. He said he originally expected the trend to fade after a decade, but the demand for his work has persisted.

His daughter, Meagan Gibson, contacted local media to share details about her father’s engineering process. Gibson described the work as labor-intensive and noted that the public often overlooks the complexity behind the scenes. She said her father deserves recognition for the scale of his career and the effort required to build the figures.

For this year’s season, Maritato is unveiling new designs at the Maritato Home Haunt. One addition is a zombie figure powered by a pneumatic system. The creature operates using an air compressor, which drives its forward movement to create a dramatic jump scare effect for visitors.

The haunt is located at N108W15004 Bel Aire Lane in Germantown. It opens at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free for attendees who wish to see the new animatronics and the rest of the seasonal display.