Halloweentown’s Kimberly J. Brown Is So Happy We All Wanted To Be Marnie

For those of us who grew up watching Disney Channel original movies, Kimberly J. Brown is an icon. She starred as 13-year-old Marnie Piper in Halloweentown, and she instantly became the teenager we all wanted to be. As a little girl, I was completely taken with the movie — I desperately wanted to find out I too had magic coursing through me and tumble into a world where I could ride a Windsweeper 5000 Turbo Broom in a sweet cloak. But it was Marnie herself who I really wanted to be. She was rebellious, yes, but because she was determined to make the world better. She was cool and good, and she wasn’t afraid to make a stand.

Brown aspired to be like Marnie, too, she tells me over Zoom, right after she complimented my Aerosmith T-shirt and said she’s also a big fan (confirming she’s good people). She called in from the home she shares with Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge costar Daniel Kountz and their mini goldendoodle, Luna. The pair were married in April of this year, after they reconnected in 2016 and went public with their relationship in 2018. Kimberly chatted with Scary Mommy about wedding mishaps, Halloweentown in hindsight, and what she loves about spooky season now.

Scary Mommy: Congratulations to you and your new husband! There’s always something that goes awry on a wedding day. Did you have any mishaps?

Kimberly J. Brown: Well, yeah. We got married on a lawn, so I was wearing fairly short Badgley Mischka heels that I thought were going to be OK in the grass. They were not. I started just completely sinking in with every step I took down the aisle, and I thought, "Oh my gosh, I have to take these shoes off or I'm going to just completely sink into the grass during the vows and everything.” So before we began the ceremony, as I got up there I thought, "Oh, let me just kick off my shoe real quick.” I kicked it off, and instead of it just landing on the grass, it starts flying through the air and lands against my flower girl's face. Everything was fine, no one was injured, but that was not quite the way I wanted to kick off the ceremony

SM: Were there any Halloweentown co-stars in attendance, other than your actual husband?

KJB: Judith Hoag came, who plays my mom in the movies. And we had a little nod to the movies in the hallway going down into our reception room. We put up one of our engagement photos, but we also put up a picture of us as Marnie and Kal because that was obviously the significant way that we met. So that was kind of the way we incorporated the movie. We had to do some kind of throwback on the day.

SM: What was your favorite part of playing Marnie, and how does it feel now that this whole generation of adults thinks back on that character so fondly?

KJB: Thank you. Oh man, I loved playing Marnie. I admired Marnie's determination and her willingness to take risks. She was the 13-year-old that I wanted to have enough confidence to be at the time. So it has been really amazing over the years seeing the fans' connection to Marnie and to the movies, and it's really... Oh gosh. It blossomed into something I could have never imagined. I'm so proud to have grown up with her and have her be sort of the risk-taker and the forward mover of Halloweentown.

A lot of those shows in the '90s, we were starting to approach some of those supernatural fun things without it having to be spooky, asking what is the magical, mystical, family fun side of Halloween. So I loved that Halloweentown became that place for families to enjoy Halloween as well.

SM: Do you have any fun memorabilia or keepsakes from your time on the set?

KJB: I have the book from the first Halloweentown movie. The producers were nice enough to give me a copy of it when we wrapped. And Disney gave me the bat that's in Kalabar's office from the first movie — his assistant that pops up out of his coffin is like, "There's somebody here to see you, boss.” I have that puppet. And I have Marnie's outfit from the second and third movie, the purple cloak.

SM: Switching gears, you are very crafty and even have your own Etsy shop. What are some Halloween and fall related crafts that you might recommend for families with kids?

KJB: Simplicity is key. I just finished a project recently where I made spiders out of pipe cleaners. Halloween doesn't have to be going out and purchasing a ton of decorations and putting a big skeleton on your lawn. I love fun crafts you can do with your whole family. So kids can have fun with pipe cleaners and make spiders to attach onto anything. I mean you can get a bag of spider webs and spread those wherever you want, and it's like a fun, simple way to add some spookiness to your house without having to rack up a huge bill.

SM: What are some of your favorite October traditions and activities you look forward to doing the most? Are you big on costumes?

KJB: Well, I have to have pumpkin spice on hand in some capacity. Lighting the candles, drinking the lattes — I am that girl. Also, don't know why over the past few years it's become such a heated debate, but I am Team Candy Corn. I have loved Halloween since I was a kid, so I like the things that tie it back to childhood for me.

And much to my dog's chagrin, yes. Over the past five years or so we've tried to do a family costume every year. Last year was Dr. Seuss, we did Super Mario Brothers. You can't let the holiday pass by without dressing up in some way. We do have a good one planned for this year.

SM: You’ve spent more time around Halloween decorations than the average person. How do you like to decorate your home for spooky season now?

KJB: I have to have some pops of orange for sure. I like a mix of fun nostalgic Halloween decor and a little bit of spookiness, too. Because I feel like you can't celebrate Halloween without a little bit of spookiness. I like to decorate with fall florals and pumpkins, but that type of decor can bring in real creepy crawlers. I like spiders and bugs in my decor, I don't like the real ones. So one of my other decor tips is to have products like STEM Kills Ants, Roaches, and Spiders Spray on hand to help you manage the real creepy crawlers, because we don't need them getting in.

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