Flu Season Meets Spooky Season as CVS Skeleton Promotes Vaccines

CVS appears to have found the one spokesperson guaranteed never to catch the flu.

A photograph circulating on X shows a full-size Halloween skeleton holding a CVS sign that reads, “Get a vaccine. Grab savings.” The seasonal display is surrounded by pumpkin merchandise, making the scene an obvious collision between flu season and spooky season.

The account sharing the image joked: “CVS really said ‘get your flu shot’ and then put a skeleton in charge of the campaign.”

It is difficult to imagine a more unfortunate piece of visual marketing. The skeleton’s cheerful hat, enormous eyelashes and permanent grin only make the message more memorable. Whether the display was arranged intentionally or simply assembled by someone who failed to step back and admire the finished product is unclear.

The post concludes, “They’re not even hiding it anymore,” turning the accidental comedy into a darker insinuation. The photograph itself, however, provides no evidence about vaccine safety. It documents poor sign placement—not a medical finding.

Current CDC monitoring says flu vaccines have a strong safety record. During the 2025–26 season, vaccination reduced flu-related outpatient visits and hospitalizations, although protection varied by age and circulating strain. CDC effectiveness report

Still, as advertising goes, putting a skeleton behind a vaccine sign is a spectacular own goal.