Halloween Candy

So I grew up in the city of neighborhoods. As a kid in the 70s we used pillowcases to collect the candy. We got so much candy, we went home 1/2-way through, dumped the pillowcase and went back out for another pillowcase full. Mom made special Halloween boxes: shoe boxes covered in Halloween contact paper (does contact paper even exist any more?). All candy was full-sized.

Aunts, uncles, cousins hung out after trick or treating, trading candy, eating grapes and nuts. Adults drinking wine or high balls, kids drinking apple cider.

Fast forward to the 90s/00s. Still living in the hood, but passing out “fun” size candy–2 or 3 per kid. Lots of neighbors stop because–horrors–churches/youth groups from unsafe neighborhoods bring their kids to our neighborhood. SMH . . . they’re kids and they’re unfailingly polite. Probably went through 20 bags of candy on Halloween.

Then I moved to the burbs. My first four years I passed out “fun” size–3 or 5 per kid. I bought like I lived in the city: I think I just finished last Halloween’s candy last week. Now I am back to full-sized Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit-Kats because there just aren’t that many kids and they have to trek up 1/4 mile drive to get the candy.

ETA: Whatever happened to 5th Avenue Bars? They were a favorite.

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I think I remember Al Roker making a joke about “fun size”–like whose idea of fun was it to have smaller candy? Wouldn’t the full-size bar be more fun (well, DUH!)? :smile: I don’t think we ever gave out full-size candy. I grew up in a huge apartment complex, so that would’ve gotten outta hand far too quickly. But I’d have loved to trick-or-treat at your house as a kiddo. P.S. Who knew there was Halloween Con-Tact? HA HA! I bet there are a couple of generations of folks who don’t even know what that is. My mom was a big fan.

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Oh yeah, 5th Ave bars were great! Do they not make those anymore? I remember getting those crappy peanut butter chews in Orange/black wax paper. They were kind of like cheap version of Mary Janes.

Mom was the Contact Queen. Shelf liners. Book covers. Decorative boxes. No flat surface was safe.

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Those generic, dollar store candies are really not worth the trouble.

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Ah, quite the contrary–EVERY flat surface was safe! HA HA HA!

The only (formerly) penny candy, which I think was 2 pennies when we were kids, was the Tootsie Roll. All the rest of that stuff was just nonsense, though I did snarf them down as a kiddo. Kits, remember them? The tiny squares of taffy, maybe 4 or five to a little tiny pack? They came in strawberry and maybe chocolate and some sort of vanilla-ish option. I was never nutty about Squirrel Nut Zippers, either. Loved then and still love now: JUNIOR MINTS!

OMG, banana Kits! Poor little sugared-up children of the 70s! :wink:
http://www.candywarehouse.com/products/kits-taffy-candy-100-piece-box/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&utm_term={keyword}&gclid=CjwKEAjwzdGxBRC3rPWZq83FzyUSJAB9IC5igE61A0tuKP9qLCnFDJDVbJA1y-1bqMz417Khjo0JwRoCjf7w_wcB

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Wait, this is so timely and true! Note, Junior Mints are the only worthwhile candy on the list (well, in my opinion and the author’s):

Forgot abot Kits! I used to love those. Both the chocolate and banana.

No wonder 70s kids were always outside running around. Who knew we were on a constant sugar high?

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Right! And I was often fueled by Coca-Cola, too. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

I used to like Charleston Chews. Gotta’ admit, I’ve never heard of Squirrel Nuts.

No way! I wonder if that’s a regional/New England thing. It’s also a band, of course. And this is beyond appropriate for tonight:

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I am glad I ignored the news lady’s advise to get candy you don’t like because I got exactly 0 trick or treaters. I did get home a bit late but I picked up candy because there were still lots of people out but I guess my block is just not trick or treat territory. People were heading back to the hood from hipsterville but not stopping here. Peanut butter snickers in my lunch for months😉

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Wow, zero? And you’re in the city. Did you get home after the Temple/ND game started? I know that was my cut off point.

That said, this was the slowest year ever. We got 12 or 13 kids. My varied menu for this week? Hersheys, Hersheys with almonds, Payday and Reeses PB cups. Kit Kats all went. Actually, the family next door has 6 kids, so I’ll see if I can foist some of the leftovers on to them.

No, a good hour before. Score breaking my heart right now I am a different species of Owl but I am pulling for the home team. I’m on a pretty big street too people were heading home but not stopping. I think they went into Fishtown proper to trick or treat. Not one other house on my block had lights on or doors open.

Ah, if no other houses were open, that explains the zero. Every single house save one was open on my street and the neighboring ones. I think most of the neighborhood kids are aging out of trick or treating.

I grew up a ND fan (Irish Catholic roots). But I’m loving the current score: Philly girl whose BIL and niece’s husband (nephew-in-law?) work at Temple and nephew is a senior there.

So all this talk about Halloween candy . Did you hand out this year ? I have them name their costume . Then I give them a handful . One of my favorite holidays . Around fifty kids this year .

I bought 2 big bags of assorted chocolates at BJs, which was around 250 little bars, and a big box of chocolate granola bars too for the healthier kids. Then I got maybe 10 or 12 little groups of kids, that’s it. I figured Saturday would be over the top trick or treating. Could be that our village started doing an Edgar Allen Poe Weekend for Halloween and everyone went there instead, that’s all I can figure.

I remember Kits but would usually go for the taffy baseball bats. Taffy on a stick that came in similar favors as Kits.

Also, Now and Laters

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Most Popular Halloween Year You Were Born

I remember getting candy corn, but I’m stuck on Snickers.

“After taking a nosedive during the pandemic, Halloween candy spending rebounded to return to (and even exceed) pre-pandemic levels in 2022, reaching record numbers. Experts say that the trend is likely to continue, with Halloween spending expected to be strong again this year. Although the economy will motivate some shoppers to seek out bargains when loading up on their Halloween haul, the majority of consumers plan to spend up to $100 on candy and food for Halloween.”

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You might get the prize for the most long-term threadsurrection ever.

Eight years!

:smiley:

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