105+ Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoo Ideas for Some Spooky Xmas Cheer!

From Jack Skellington to Halloween Town, there are plenty of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos to choose from!

As someone who loves both Halloween as well as Christmas, the Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies! This is why I get excited when one of my clients comes in with a design - we get to talk about the characters and the plot for the entire appointment!

In this post, I will show you all the top Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo ideas and give you some background information on the designs too!

The Best Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoo Designs

Here are the top Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos you should check out for yourself:

Jack Skellington Tattoos

Now, if you are considering Night Before Christmas tattoos, then you should start your search with a Jack Skellington tattoo.

After all, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is the main character of the story. So, it is only right to get a Night Before Christmas tattoo that features Jack Skellington!

There is also a lot to love about Jack Skellington. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, he starts off by being a bit depressed with his current situation in life. Halloween has lost its shine for Jack Skellington and he is feeling a little aimless.

However, when he finds Christmas Town, he finds a new purpose in life - to introduce Christmas to the people of Halloween Town!

Now, Jack Skellington does have plenty of good traits. He is charming, caring, intuitive, and adventurous.

At the same time, Jack Skellington can seem a bit wrapped on his own wants and needs. And, as you can see from The Nightmare Before Christmas, this nearly leads to the downfall of Christmas Town.

At the end of the day, though, Jack Skellington is able to see the error of his ways and to work to make things right again!

There are a lot of different ways that you can portray Jack in your Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo. You can simply get a portrait of him himself.

Or, you can choose to add Halloween-esque elements to the background.

Also, you can decide to get the tattoo in just black and white shading. Or, you can choose to add vibrant colors to the mix. It is all about figuring out what kind of vibe that you want to create.

Sure, this Tim Burton movie can feel like it is lacking in color. However, the characters are very bold and vibrant, especially Jack. As such, you may want to choose different colors to match his personality.

Here are the Jack Skellington-based Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that you should check out:

Santa Jack Tattoos

If both Halloween and Christmas are your favorite times of the year, then Santa Jack can be a great way for you to depict your love for these two holidays.

After all, he is able to combine elements of both seasons quite well. It is a little bit spooky but also has the right amount of Christmas cheer.

For this tattoo idea, I have to say that I like this tattoo in particular. The playing card shows both sides - Jack Skellington as he is and when he takes on the role of Santa Claus. This is such a cool and creative way to bring this concept to life!

Creative Jack Skellington Tattoos

One of the cool things about Tim Burton and his movies is that they inspire creativity. So, even though Jack maybe your favorite character, you may want to do something a little different with your Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos.

Well, the good news for you is that there are more than a few Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos for you to check out here.

For instance, take a look at this L'il Jack tattoo. It works well for someone who would like to put a slightly cuter twist on the movie and the themes.

Here is a tattoo that is just as adorable - L'il Jack hugging an Oogie Boogie toy.

As you will see from the following Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, there are plenty of ideas for you to consider. So, check these out and see how you can make them your own!

Zero Tattoos

I don't know about you, but Zero is one of my favorite Nightmare Before Christmas characters. He is such a cute ghost dog, with an adorable glowing nose that you can't resist!

Zero is also there for some of the important moments in the Nightmare Before Christmas story. For instance, he is with Jack Skellington when he first finds the doorway to Christmas Town.

Also, he is Halloween Town's version of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer when the fog gets too thick for Jack to see through.

And, when Jack and Sally finally have their moment, Zero flies up into the sky, where his glowing nose becomes a part of a shooting star to create the perfect mood for them.

There are a few different ways that you can make this kind of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo work.

In case you want to keep things simple, then you can keep the tattoo as minimalistic as possible - just the outline of Zero.

If you would like your Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo to pop a little more, then make sure that you make his pumpkin nose really come to life, glow, and all!

If you really want to take things to the next level, then add a few touches of purple along the black outline and make the nose as realistic as possible.

Now, you don't have to get a tattoo of Zero to make this concept work. You can also consider Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that include Zero's really cool doghouse too! As it has his name on it, it is as good as inking Zero on yourself!

These are the Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos inspired by Zero that you just have to see!

Sally Tattoos

When watching Nightmare Before Christmas, Sally may have been your favorite character. If so, it isn't difficult to see why!

She leads an isolated life, captured by her creator, Dr. Finkelstein. However, like Jack, she longs to see what is out there and knows that there is more to her life.

One of the things that stands out about Sally is how brave she is. She isn't afraid to defy the doctor's orders and to make her own way in life.

Also, even though she is in love with Jack, she still puts the town's needs above hers and tries to stop his plans. Not to mention, she puts herself in danger to rescue Santa Claus!

All in all, Sally is a very impressive character and it is only natural for you to consider her for your Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo!

The other thing that I like about a Sally tattoo is that it showcases her independent character, away from Jack.

You also don't necessarily have to get a more traditional Sally tattoo. You are free to get as creative as you want here.

So, if you would like to do a reimagining of Sally, you can!

Deadly Nightshade Tattoos

As you may remember Sally uses a concoction known as Deadly Nightshade to poison Dr. Finkelstein. This is so that she can escape the confines of the prison he created for her.

Due to this, the Deadly Nightshade can actually have a deeper meaning for Sally as well as you. It is a symbol of Sally's bravery as well as her desire for freedom.

This poison represents the way that she fights back against her restraints and her captor and creates a life for herself.

Jack Skellington and Sally Tattoos

One of the things that makes The Nightmare Before Christmas such a captivating story is that there is a budding romance. It is an ironically romantic masterpiece.

In the beginning, Sally is in love with Jack but is too shy to tell him about her feelings. And, to top things off, Jack only sees her as a friend. Needless to say, this is something a lot of people can relate to!

However, as Sally and Jack have to battle it out to save Santa Claus and Christmas Town, Jack begins to fall in love with Sally as well.

And, finally, at the end of the movie, they have their moment.

Here are some Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that showcase their love! This kind of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo features both Jack Skellington as well as Sally.

One of my favorite takes on this Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo is the tarot card design. Here, both Jack and Sally are drawn inside a tarot card with the title The Lovers written beneath the image.

For one thing, the mystical vibe really fits the concepts behind the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. For another, this kind of tattoo idea also gives you the feeling that the love story between Jack and Sally was destined to be!

Another one of these Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that I really like is the one where Jack and Sally are done only in outline and they are captured inside of a heart. It is minimalistic yet so beautiful.

And, as an additional touch, it has those magical words included as well - We're Simply Meant to Be. If you like this tattoo, here are some Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that can inspire your own tattoo:

Oogie Boogie Tattoos

If you are looking for unusual Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, then you may want to consider an Oogie Boogie tattoo.

After all, he really does live up to his villain status. Not only is Oogie Boogie an actual bogeyman, he is also filled with a lot of bugs, two spiders, and a snake. In short, he is most people's idea of their worst nightmare.

And, if that weren't bad enough, Oogie Boogie's plan is to create a Bug Day by hijacking Christmas Town!

Still, there is no denying that he is a compelling villain and an important part of the Nightmare Before Christmas story.

So, no wonder you may want to consider him for a Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo!

Lock, Shock, and Barrel Tattoos

Lock, Shock, and Barrel are pretty polarizing characters. On the one hand, they willingly do Oogie Boogie's dirty work for him, including locking up Santa Claus in his lair.

Not to mention, they are pretty chaotic characters. Despite this, they do help the Mayor find out where Jack and Sally are being kept, saving the day.

Whatever your thoughts on these kids are, there is no denying that they definitely spice up the movie. From their crazy song to their insane antics, they keep you entertained every step of the way.

So, if you are considering a Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo, you have to include them in the lineup.

Here are all the cool Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos that are based on them:

The Mayor Tattoos

If there is a character on Nightmare Before Christmas that makes a political statement, it has to be The Mayor! After all, he is designed to be a parody of human politicians.

One of the most notable things about the Mayor is that he has two faces - happy and sad - and the face changes according to the emotion that he is feeling. However, if you dig a little deeper, this can also be considered a play on the fact that many politicians are considered two-faced.

There is also the fact that The Mayor tends to be rather wishy-washy. Although he is an elected official, he relies heavily on Skellington to make Halloween Town function smoothly.

Halloween Town Tattoos

You can argue that Halloween Town is practically a character in Nightmare Before Christmas. There are just so many cool things about this town.

If you are someone who loves Halloween and all things spooky, then there are so many details about Halloween Town that get you excited.

So, it is only natural for you to get a tattoo of it! For this kind of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo, you can ask your tattoo artist to include all the different elements of the town or just a few details here and there.

For instance, you can decide to only include the main protagonists or throw in the antagonists for good measure too. Or, you can just have certain aspects of the town that you really liked. The options are endless!

Since getting a larger body art piece will help you add more detail, you may want to consider Nightmare Before Christmas sleeve tattoos or Nightmare Before Christmas thigh tattoos. This also works as a half-sleeve Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo.

By taking up a person's entire arm, you can really make your tattoo stand out.

Nightmare Before Christmas Cupcake Tattoos

This is such a fun and interesting idea for your tattoo, especially if you want a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed design but don't want to lean too heavily into the concept.

In this case, you can turn you favorite movie or characters into cupcakes! What I like about this idea is that you can go in two different directions with it.

On the one hand, you can choose to have a more cheerful design, one more in line with the concept of cupcakes. This is great if you want a Christmas feel to your tattoo.

On the other, if you like the spooky concept of Halloween a bit more, then you could get scarier cupcakes. With this kind of idea, you have the ability to go all out with your tattoo!

Crossover Tattoos

If you are in the mood to do something a little different with your tattoo, then you should consider getting a crossover tattoo.

This is where the Nightmare Before Christmas is intersected with another movie or pop culture concept.

Now, if you love Tim Burton's movies, then you can consider mashing the Nightmare Before Christmas with The Corpse Bride. There is a good chance that if you liked one movie you loved the other as well.

The aesthetics for these two movies are rather similar so they fit together beautifully.

Of course, the crossover doesn't have to stop there - there are so many movies, books, stories, and ideas to consider.

Now, for this kind of tattoo, you have a few options. You can combine two or more of your favorite movies into one vibrant tattoo design.

Your other option is to combine two or more movies or stories from the same genre. This means that you can choose another story that has a bit of a spooky vibe to it.

You can also choose to go in the opposite direction. Combine the Nightmare Before Christmas with a bright and sparkly story. This works really well if you want to create a lovely contrast within your tattoo.

Well, there you go - here are the top Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos for you to choose from! It doesn't matter if you see this as a fun Halloween movie, a spooky Christmas movie, or a haunted animated love story - there are tattoo designs to meet your every idea!