Battle Ground resident Joey Colunga is spreading a little Halloween spirit around town with hundreds of 3D-printed ghosts hidden in parks and other public spaces.
Colunga, co-owner of NW Ambush Extreme Sports in Old Town, said the project started as a way to create something inexpensive and fun that could bring joy to people while also getting his young son Brayden outside.
“I just thought it would be something fun for me to do with my little son,” Colunga said. “And then everybody else is like, ‘This is cool, a good idea,’ so everybody else is liking it. So yeah, I’ll keep on doing more and more of them, and it brings joy to people and people like it. So, why not?”
Colunga has printed about 250 ghosts so far, with more designs in the works. He said he recently created a glow-in-the-dark rainbow mummy and has been experimenting with other Halloween-themed designs.
The ghosts are free for people to find and keep. Colunga encourages finders to share their discoveries on social media and tag his project. An Instagram QR Code is included with findable ghosts.
The response has been stronger than Colunga expected, with people posting about their finds and encouraging him to make more.
“It’s been positive. I mean, it's really positive, and so it's been more positive and more reaction than I thought it would be,” he said. “So, we'll design some more colors, you know, just keep making them cute.”
Colunga said he has been hiding the creations throughout Battle Ground city limits, including at area parks. He has also begun giving bags of the creations to friends outside of the immediate Battle Ground area so they can spread the project to their own communities, such as Amboy and Yacolt.
The ghosts are only the beginning. Colunga said he plans to create themed items for other holidays, including pumpkins for Halloween and reindeer, snowmen, Santa Claus and elves for Christmas.
“I just like doing something fun that brings joy to other people,” Colunga said. “That's my biggest thing, and then it gets people outside wandering around and, you know, walking the dog, seeing things.”
For Colunga, the project is as much about community and family time as it is about 3D printing.
“We've been doing it daily so far,” he said about the time spent with his son.
