Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo

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Beth Asaff

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Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo

Whether it's your love of Halloween, Tim Burton or Jack Skellington that inspires it, a Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo can be a fun way of showing your passion.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton's iconic movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas, debuted in 1993. His claymation creation presents holidays in a new light. Rather than an event that occurs once a year, Burton proposed that those who create the holidays known as Halloween and Christmas reside in towns where the sole point is to get ready for the big day.

Iconic Characters

There are several characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas that have inspired love, passion and creativity amongst fans. These characters are frequently seen depicted as tattoos on fans of the movie.

Jack Skellington

Jack Skellington is the movie's lead; a skeleton who wishes there was more to his life. Skellington's image is a popular tattoo amongst fans of the movie who may also wish there was more in their present life. Skellington's head is frequently tattooed alone, or the silhouette of his body may be seen against the moon.

Sally

Sally is the rag doll who loves and believes in Jack Skellington despite his trials. Sally is a popular Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo amongst women, and is sometimes paired with Skellington to depict true love.

Oogie Boogie

Oogie Boogie is the movie's villain; the dark shadow who haunts nightmares. A large sack filled with bugs, Oogie Boogie may be used as a tattoo image for those with a particular fondness for Halloween tattoos.

Lock, Shock and Barrel

Lock, Shock and Barrel are Oogie Boogie's henchmen, three children who live for trick or treating and do Oogie Boogie's bidding. The three characters, displayed with or without their masks, are another popular Halloween themed tattoo.

Moon and Cliff

Movie posters for The Nightmare Before Christmas show a large, yellow moon behind a curled cliff. This cliff unfurls as it is walked on, and is a scene showed multiple times throughout the movie with Jack and Sally both alone and together on it. The moon and cliff is a popular, large back tattoo for fans of the movie, both alone and paired with one or more of the movie's characters.

Zero

Skellington's dog Zero is also seen frequently in tattoos from the movie. Zero can usually be seen paired with Skellington, or with Skellington and Sally.

Various Characters

The Nightmare Before Christmas is filled with various characters including vampires, a demonic clown, the Axe Man and others. Many fans of the movie have a favorite lesser character that they may choose to tattoo the image of. The reasons behind this can be a feeling of relation to the character, or merely a simple love for the image.

Placement of a Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoo

Tattoos depicting characters or scenes from the movie can be placed nearly anywhere on the body. Popular locations typically go hand-in-hand with the images themselves and include:

  • The lower back for large scenes such as the moon and cliff
  • Upper arm for single character's including Jack Skellington's head
  • Lower leg or calf for full length tattoos of Skellington alone or with Sally
  • Upper arm including shoulder for displaying the moon over the rounded section of the shoulder, with the full length characters extending down the bicep to the elbow
  • Full sleeve of color scenes from the movie including the union of Jack and Sally at the movie's end

A Nightmare Before Christmas design can be a way to display both the playful and deep sides of your nature. The very things that made the movie so popular including the imagery, meaning and depth of feeling produced are the very things that make these tattoos popular as well.

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Tim Burton‘s treasured stop-motion classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas is almost thirty years old. Despite its age, it still captures people’s hearts and imaginations. With some of the most indelible characters ever created, this Christmas/Halloween hybrid movie inspires tons of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that celebrate any and all characters from the film.

Tattoos of Jack (the Pumpkin King) and his special friend, Sally are most popular but you’ll encounter all sorts of designs that pay homage to the film. From evil little toys to Oogie Boogie, folks are sharing their love with all sorts of creative designs. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just enjoy solid tattoo design, you’ll love taking a look at some of these unique pieces. Take a peek at these Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that are equal parts creepy and sweet.

Take a Look at These Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoos for Ink Inspiration!

Black & Grey

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Tell your story with the use of silhouette as this person has decided to do. We will see a lot of colorful ink on this list of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos but black and grey will still totally work if that’s what you prefer!

Devilish

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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We find one of the residents of Halloween Town tattooed beautifully here. Choose one of the more obscure characters from the movie for your tattoo for something original and fresh.

Simply Meant to Be

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Among Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, you will see a lot that look similar to this one. The formula seems to be Jack + Sally + Heart = Perfection. We’ll see a couple more like this on the list but be sure to think outside the box for something that’s more unique.

Lock, Shock, & Barrel

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Beloved characters Lock, Shock, and Barrel are found on this tattoo. Simple black lines are used to bring them to life which looks rather understated, minimal, and fresh.

Zero & Jack

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Second to the Jack and Sally tattoos are tattoos of Jack’s cute, ghost dog, Zero. We’ll find a few more of this little guy among these Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos.

Baby Oogie Boogie

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Your favorite baddie, Oogie Boogie can be found in this tattoo depicted as a baby. The character is highlighted with lime green which contrasts well with the gold and orange circle behind him.

The Mayor

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Another popular character for tattooing is the Mayor of Halloween Town. The character possesses the most iconic double-face features which appeal to so many fans.

Illuminated Zero

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Zero looks dashing with these rainbow Christmas lights wrapped around him. Notice how the tattoo artist has managed to make the light look as if they’re glowing. What a bright idea!

Half Sleeve for Jack

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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If you’re thinking about going big with your Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, you’ll be in good company. We stumbled across a great deal of half-sleeve and full-sleeve tattoos inspired by the movie.

Romance

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Here’s another large tattoo that’s framed by an oval shape meeting the full moon. The tiny details found in this piece are captivating.

Tarot Cards

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Tarot card tattoos are a megatrend today. This means that you will find a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos done in this style. Here’s one of the best examples we encountered.

A Patch

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Another popular trend today is patch tattoos. Here’s a great example of one featuring Jack and Sally.

Some Love for Burton

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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With these Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, we find some characters from another Tim Burton movie, Beetlejuice. There seems to be a lot of crossover for fans of TNBC and other Burton properties.

On a Roll

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Watercolor tattoos are such a major trend and have been for years now. We find Oogie Boogie done in the style for this tattoo that’s teeming with that Boogie energy.

RELATED: 25 Christmas Tattoos That Bring the Jolly All Year Long

More Watercolor

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Here’s another example of watercolor tattooing. It’s a very unique and singular design that’s unlike any other tattoo on this list.

Masks

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Our cheeky trio of misfits seemed to have misplaced their masks. This very fun design mixes in some motifs from traditional tattooing to offer a fresh perspective.

Trick or Treat

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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How cute is this Sally baby who is out trick-or-treating? We saw a few of these babydoll designs of her but this one was definitely a favorite.

Neon Jack

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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In one of our favorite Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, we find Jack illuminated by neon Christmas colors. It’s both eerie and energetic. That tattoo artist has done an excellent job of making this concept really slay.

Sally’s Secret

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Dr. Finkelstein got a taste of his own medicine after Sally slipped him some of her Deadly Night Shade. This tattoo celebrates the movie in a more understated way.

Cute Little Zero

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Here’s another one of The Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos of Zero. He’s depicted here with some pumpkins and a little landscape of his forever home.

Looks Like Love

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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In this huge, half-sleeve tattoo, we find Jack, Sally, and Zero together. It looks like one happy family to us! This tattoo is proof that you can really go big with your designs.

Cross-Stitch Jack

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Here’s one of the most interesting Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that we found. Done with hundreds of tiny X’s we find a “cross-stitch” of Jack wearing a Sandy Claws hat.

A Dreamer

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Framed by a heart, we find Sally dreaming of what could be. It’s a romantic tattoo that we imagine many Sally fans will be jealous of.

Vampire Teddy

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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One of the best evil toys from Halloween Town is this flying Vampire Teddy. It looks rather mischievous in this tattoo. It’s definitely a fan favorite.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 25 Halloween Tattoos for All of Us Who Want Year-Round Frights

So Real

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Well, it turns out that photorealism can be achieved with Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos. This Jack Skellington looks eerily alive thanks to the intense shading and highlight used to realize him.

What’s This?

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Here’s another really wild one of Jack. This tattoo instantly made us think of his song, “What’s This?” What a festive and bright design.

A Fresh Take

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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We find Sally and Jack in this tattoo that finds them depicted in a very unique and stylish way. Find yourself an artist with a point of view and they just might create something equally as magical for you.

In the Tub

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Our three besties are on their way to capture Sandy Claws in this thrilling tattoo that’s full of life. How about that full moon with the silhouette of Oogie Boogie looming behind them?

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Here’s another one of the Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that takes a more 3-D approach to the concept. Take a look at the stitches on Sally’s face. There is a lot of detail, care, and love put into this design.

Frog’s Breath

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Frog’s Breath is one of the many ingredients Sally uses in The Nightmare Before Christmas. We adore this take on it that finds a very detailed frog waiting inside the jar.

We All Scream For…

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We find Oogie Boogie mixing with a soft-serve ice cream cone. It’s equal parts sweet and scary. What a fun and creative concept!

Thorns

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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This portrait of Jack really stood out to us because of its tidy, clean style and the use of thorns to frame it. Purple and green inks look so fabulous together.

Oh, So Nice

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo
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Wow! We leave you with one of our favorite Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos of all time. Our friends, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, are depicted here in a completely fresh style that’s part storybook and part dream.

These Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos are truly remarkable. We hope you saw some ink that made your imagination kick into gear for your very own tattoo. There’s no right or wrong way to go about getting your fan tattoo just be sure to stay true to yourself and to express your specific point of view about the beloved movie.

Nightmare before christmas lock shock and barrel tattoo

Andrew is an Assistant Editor for Mamas Uncut with over ten years of experience as a writer in the creative, marketing, and blogging spaces. After studying Film and Art History, he developed a passion for telling stories in a variety of mediums. Obsessively making lists, reporting celebrity news, and diving into emerging pop cultural topics are a few of his interests.

Contents

  • 1 Take a Look at These Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoos for Ink Inspiration!
    • 1.1 Black & Grey
    • 1.2 Devilish
    • 1.3 Simply Meant to Be
    • 1.4 Lock, Shock, & Barrel
    • 1.5 Zero & Jack
    • 1.6 Baby Oogie Boogie
    • 1.7 The Mayor
    • 1.8 Illuminated Zero
    • 1.9 Half Sleeve for Jack
    • 1.10 Romance
    • 1.11 Tarot Cards
    • 1.12 A Patch
    • 1.13 Some Love for Burton
    • 1.14 On a Roll
    • 1.15 More Watercolor
    • 1.16 Masks
    • 1.17 Trick or Treat
    • 1.18 Neon Jack
    • 1.19 Sally’s Secret
    • 1.20 Cute Little Zero
    • 1.21 Looks Like Love
    • 1.22 Cross-Stitch Jack
    • 1.23 A Dreamer
    • 1.24 Vampire Teddy
    • 1.25 So Real
    • 1.26 What’s This?
    • 1.27 A Fresh Take
    • 1.28 In the Tub
    • 1.29 Remarkable
    • 1.30 Frog’s Breath
    • 1.31 We All Scream For…
    • 1.32 Thorns
    • 1.33 Oh, So Nice

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Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.

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