To me its not just that they're kind of expensive. They are, and yes, you can indeed grind potatoes to get them all with time to spare if you manage to find the free time. The halloween items used to be free. People could give out extras they got later in the year for people who had missed them. Plus, this years items are more expensive than the older items. I just don't see a good reason for that when we do in fact have the frog pond.
Anyway's that's my piece. I honestly think the items look lovely. They should not be that pricey.