Random Small But Chilling Details In 'Coraline' (17 items)

(#3) Mr. Bobinsky's Medal And Blue Skin Point To His Dark Past

On the surface, Mr. Bobinsky appears to be an eccentric but harmless dilettante with a penchant for mice. His noticeably blue skin may simply seem like a design choice, but the medal he wears pinned to his shirt hints at a darker explanation.

The distinctive emblem is a real medal given to the "Chernobyl liquidators," those who helped clean up the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. If Bobinsky helped with radiation cleanup, this could explain his abnormally colored skin - it may be a byproduct of prolonged radiation exposure.
(#16) Spink And Forcible's Furniture Foreshadows Their Theater Show

One subtle allusion to Spink and Forcible's bombastic upcoming performance in the Other World appears when Coraline first visits their basement apartment.

While the space is decked out with twinkling lights, vintage burlesque posters, and even a door knocker featuring the infamous comedy and tragedy masks, three fold-down theater seats in their living room provide a more understated reference to the theatrical performance to come.
(#14) Coraline's Praying Mantis Frame Foreshadows The Giant Mantis In The Garden

The Beldam specially designed the Other World to contain all of Coraline's favorite things. Many of her toys and trinkets seen in the beginning of the film return as magical creatures in the Other World, most notably her praying mantis picture frame, which later becomes the gigantic mantis the Other Father rides through the garden.

Other toys that are upgraded for the Other World include a turtle shell, some paper dragonflies, and a stuffed blue squid.
(#8) The Secret Well Doubles As A Fairy Ring

When Coraline first explores the grounds of the Pink Palace, she embarks on a hunt to find a secret well. She unknowingly steps right on top of it, although the spot is already marked out with a ring of small, orange mushrooms.

This circle may be a fairy ring, a folkloric symbol that indicates fairies frequent the land. According to legend, these rings can be very dangerous to anyone who disturbs or steps inside of them, just as Coraline does. Some claim trespassing inside fairy territory could result in anything from bad luck to a curse, which may explain the mysterious and frightening events that occur after Coraline accidentally ventures inside the ring.
(#6) The Silhouetted Portraits In The Dining Room Could Be The Ghost Children

In the dining room of the Other Mother's house hang three silhouetted portraits of children. These more than likely represent the ghost children, the Beldam's previous victims whose spirits are still trapped inside a dark, hidden room in the Other Pink Palace.

Had Coraline accepted the Beldam's offer, she likely would have appeared as a fourth silhouette on the wall.
(#10) The Beldam Straightens Mel's Crooked Nose

The Beldam strives to make everything perfect for Coraline in the Other World, from delicious three-course meals to a custom-made sweater ensemble to the neighbor she "fixes" so he can't speak. Even the tiniest details are altered to perfection, and some of these may fly under the radar.

According to Redditor u/UniqueBrowser:

The other mother makes her idea of a "perfect identical world" for Coraline. This also includes such fine details as fixing her real mother's crooked nose.