45 Weird Things People Got While Trick-Or-Treating That Definitely Weren’t Candy
When you’re a kid, you learn a surprising amount about your neighbors on Halloween. You might not know their names, but you know which house gives out full-size candy bars and which one thinks a toothbrush is a fun idea.
The toothbrush people always confused me. I understand why they do it, but we’re off the clock. You can get back to worrying about my teeth in November.
Still, there’s something entertaining about a neighbor who sees everyone else buying candy and decides to take the evening in a completely different direction. Sometimes it’s disappointing. Sometimes they accidentally become the best house on the block.
These people shared the weirdest things they received while trick-or-treating. A few of these handouts would require a conversation with your parents on the walk home.
1. The Spam Was Supposed To Be A Joke
My son got a can of Spam as a joke, when the giver told him it was not his true treat, he ran away with the Spam, thinking it was the best treat.
2. Never Underestimate The Appeal Of A Potato
I remember reading about someone who offered kids a handful of candy or a potato and with the number of kids who chose the potato they went through an entire sack over the course of the night.
3. The Bodybuilders Stayed On Brand
We had a bodybuilder couple who lived down the street from us that used to hand out protein bars and mini gym towels every year!
4. Something Was Brewing In The Ramen Cauldron
Way back in the early ’90s one of the houses in our neighborhood was owned by a guy who worked for the Nissin ramen noodles factory. He decorated his house as a haunted house and invited trick-or-treaters to come inside, where he had a giant witch’s cauldron with dry ice. He would reach inside and hand us an individual shrinkwrapped cup of noodles.
5. A Bag Nobody Wanted To Open
When we were little my sister got a bag of hair!
6. The Gated Community Had A Different Budget
Not me personally, but a friend from college married a very wealthy doctor from a very wealthy family and moved into a super chichi gated community. The families were in competition with each other to give out the best goody bags. One family gave out bags with iPod Nanos in them.
7. The Emergency Beanie Baby Stash
This one woman ran out of candy and brought out a giant tote of beanie babies, I’m talking this thing was full to the brim with beanie babies. She let us dig through it and grab what we wanted.
8. A Treat The Parents Appreciated Most
Not something I received myself, but something I saw given out. In the days before cell phone cameras my housemate got a Polaroid camera and gave each child a picture of himself or herself in costume. We were on the edge of a low-income neighborhood, and some of the accompanying parents teared up because it was the only picture they had!
9. A Business Card Was Included
Mini bibles, apples, toothbrushes. Those houses were promptly egged by neighborhood kids lol. (I don’t condone the behaviour, but it was a sign of the times.)
My own kid got “Scentsy” wax melts with a lady’s business card a few years in a row.
10. This Treat Came With Responsibilities
I once got a goldfish. Not the snack. A real, living goldfish in water inside a plastic bag.
11. A Surprisingly Profitable Coupon Book
One of those entertainment and dining coupon books. It was like $35 a book. But it had like $2000 worth of coupons if we used everything. We used like $200 worth of them.
12. The Loose Cookie Was Given With Love
We had a new Asian family in the neighborhood. They had a little girl about 4 years old. She was so excited. When someone knocked on her door, she would run to the kitchen and grab a sandwich cookie and then run back and drop it in the trick or treat bag. I’ll never forget her smile.
It was our first loose cookie on Halloween.
13. A Little Something For The Parent
Not weird but last year when I took my son out some financial business gave him candy and then asked me if I wanted an adult treat and had a basket full of nips, I grabbed a peppermint schnapps.
14. Inflation Had Already Gotten To This House
An older couple in our neighborhood gave out a penny to every child. Once upon a time a penny was worth something, just not when I was a kid. I still said thank you because my mother raised me to be polite.
15. The Neighbor Who Rented An Ice Cream Truck
This isn’t really weird, but, when I was a kid, we had a neighbor that rented an ice cream truck and gave all of us kids soft ice cream cones. This was a long time ago when you didn’t have to worry “ additions” to your treats.
16. A Mirror With A Message
A mirror with a note taped to the inside about the evils of halloween.
17. Someone Was Handing Out Pantry Staples
Coffee, sugar, flour wrapped in small squares of aluminum foil.
18. The Best Treat Was A Cold Drink
Bottled water. We lived in a place where it is often warm on Halloween. Add costumes and a lot of walking and it can be thirsty work. One year my kid came home and I asked him what was the best thing he got and he said water! He said he was so hot and thirsty and then this house had cold bottled water and it saved him.
19. Fresh Cotton Candy And Tiny Flashlights
One year, when my kids were small, there was a house that had a cotton candy machine in the front yard. They handed out freshly spun cotton candy to all the kids.
One year I had a bunch of tiny flashlights that were surplus samples from work. The kids loved those. (we also gave them candy).
20. Last Year’s Costume Made A Return
Back in the 90s I got several toothbrushes and a couple mini bibles.
One lady gave me a photo of myself she had taken of me on the porch the year before! She would take each kids picture and hang them on a bulletin board the next year. If you came you got your photo!
21. The Medicine Cabinet Special
Cough drops. Pretty sure she was drunk. Got some 10 year old expired candy cigs once too.
22. Technically Edible
Crickets. They were edible but still grossed me out.
23. The House With The Homemade Buffet
We had a lady in our neighborhood – this was back in the 70’s- that loved to bake and would invite you into her house to pick out goodies. She’d have a whole buffet table set up, with homemade goodies all individually packaged to choose from. We’d try to time her house for when we’d be getting hungry so we could eat that cupcake or those cookies right away. Oh! Just remembered she’d also make candied/caramel apples too.
24. A Free Lesson Nobody Asked For
My kids would get vouchers for a “free karate lesson” along with a “I love Jesus” wristband. Both in the trash as soon as we got home. Way to suck the joy out of a fun holiday.
25. An Unexpected Comic From The School Bully’s House
A mini comic book about how we’re all going to [censored] …from the house of the school bully.
26. The Candy Ran Out, So The Vegetables Came Out
Not me but two years ago a family gave my child carrots because they ran out of candy.
27. A Brighter Alternative To Candy
I hand out fibre optic light wands. Kids love them. Everyone I know with kids say they get way too much candy so I wanted to find an alternative.
28. A Different Kind Of Halloween Haul
I have Hot Wheels to give out tonight.
29. The Million-Dollar Disappointment
One of those million dollar Jesus bills that looks like real cash. That is just wrong.
30. A Small Gift They Still Have
A hair tie, but it was an elderly neighbour couple, and I still have it – means the world to me.
31. A Familiar Halloween Complaint
I got a rock.
32. A Little Spending Money Went A Long Way
A roll of nickels wrapped in cellophane. About 25 cents. Mind you this was around 1965. A rich lady. Very nice. Everyone got a roll of nickels. That was a lot of money for a kid then.
33. A Very Specific Dinner Starter
Last year my grandson got Ramen noodles and sauce from Chick-fil-A.
34. The Dogs Got Treats Too
Actually kinda cool, my neighbor gives out treats for dogs.
35. Four Bags And A Very Good Year
Living in the burbs of Tucson was awesome 😎 in the early 80’s! My best haul was in ’84. Ended up with toy soldiers/pocket games, homemade treats, and had 4 bags to bring home!
36. The Rich Street Served Dessert
Back in the late 60s a house on the rich street gave out ice cream sandwiches. Not in your bag we were handed them directly.
37. School Supplies With Some Personality
Pencils with those fuzzy head things on them. Kinda liked that.
38. An Anti-Halloween Handout On Halloween
Christian stuff..no lie like a little pamphlet about how halloween was bad. Like my dude if you dont want to celebrate halloween because you believe it’s evil, why are you handing out anything?!
Also I’ve gotten raisins (but jokes on them I like raisins).
39. The Dentist Was Predictable
Toothbrush from house of dentist.
40. A Whole Pad Of Paper Was Exciting
I am old enough to have gotten apples and homemade apples. I remember being around 8 getting a full pad of paper and we were very excited to get that.
41. An Unexpected Snack That Worked Out
Pickle chips. They were actually pretty good.
42. A Treat With A Prediction
A fortune cookie.
43. An Awkward Addition To The Candy Bag
A post hole digger.
44. The Popcorn Ball Had A Critic
A popcorn ball, disgusting.
45. Pound Coins And Party Bags
That house giving out pound coins and full party bags sounds like a legendary Halloween! Definitely a memorable trick or treat experience.