Bobby Pickett co-wrote his signature song, “Monster Mash”, with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962 as a spoof of popular contemporary dance crazes. Pickett’s performances include impersonations of Boris Karloff (The Mummy (1932)) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula (1931)), and although many major labels declined to distribute the song, Gary S. Paxton agreed to release it in the United States. “Monster Mash” was met with instant success and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1962, including Halloween. The song was certified gold by the RIAA on August 28, 1973. The song has since re-charted five more times—in 1970, 1973 (when it reached the Top Ten), 2021, 2022, and 2023. In October 1984, Easy Street Records released “Monster Rap”, which lyrically continues the story of “Monster Mash” and features vocals by Bobby Payne as a monster who speaks in rap form and Pickett reprising his roles as the mad scientist and Dracula.