It may seem to some that skeletons are icons of death, and one may consider it macabre that these icons are shown in everyday circumstances mimicking activities of live people. Here are a couple of excerpts from Vera Cala's very informative site. That's when the souls of the dearly departed return home to the world of the living. All of them. In the Latino culture, The Dead are full of Life.
Miniature skeletons sporting mohawks and big grins play in rock bands.
Paper mache skulls bear pink flowers for eyes and green lizards on their brows. Wooden skeletons on rods dance wildly, with arms and legs flailing, whenever you pull their strings. The skeletons, made of paper mache, ceramic, wood or tin, have become highly collectible items, especially in the United States. Being a collector myself, I find these pieces sometimes very hard to find, and in certain areas, very expensive. Part of the fun of going to any new city is prowling around to find the little shops that might carry them.