Most neighbors stick to the script and hand out chocolates or fruit chews on Halloween. But some take the “trick” part a bit too seriously and will give away just about anything other than plain old candy.

When someone recently asked netizens to recall the strangest things they ever received while trick-or-treating, their answers showed just how unpredictable people can really be. Some kids got lucky with cash, crisp apples, or Beanie Babies. Others walked away with toothbrushes, tiny Bibles, and in one bizarre case, even a bag full of hair.

We gathered some of the most questionable items — along with a few surprisingly good ones — so that you can better prepare your own stash this season.

#1

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!

#2

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!

#3

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.

Brits plan to spend about $940 million on Halloween this year, while Americans are taking the holiday to a new level with a staggering $13.5 billion budget, according to National Retail Federation estimates.

According to a recent survey, about 74% of Americans plan to participate in Halloween celebrations this year.

Kids’ costumes alone will account for $1.5 billion in sales this year — over 4.6 million kids plan to suit up as Spider-Man, with another 2.3 million opting for other superhero outfits.

Let’s explore how it became such a widely celebrated tradition in the United States.

#4

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.

#5

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.

#6

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.

Halloween’s roots trace back more than two millennia to Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that marked the New Year on November 1. People believed that the barrier between the living and the departed grew thin the night before, letting spirits, fairies, and demons roam the physical world freely.

To cope with these unseen visitors, early Europeans developed unique customs that laid the foundation for modern trick-or-treating.

“Our archives are full of stories that are as chilling as they are captivating. Masks were worn, fires were lit and stories of ghosts, fairies, and even the devil were shared to entertain, warn, or protect the household,” said Victoria Millar, curator at the Ulster Folk Museum.

#7

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.

#8

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.

#9

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.

Research shows that in 16th-century England, the poor traveled from door to door on All Souls’ Day. They begged for food in exchange for prayers for deceased relatives — a practice known as “souling.” Instead of chocolate, these early beggars received “soul cakes,” small baked treats stamped with a cross.

At the same time, another precursor was taking shape across the Atlantic. During the 18th and 19th centuries, communities in the eastern US and Canada practiced “belsnickling” around Christmas. People in costumes went door to door, performing short acts or small tricks for food and drinks. Some even playfully scared young children before asking whether they had been well-behaved enough to deserve a reward.

#10

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.

#11

Pencils with those fuzzy head things on them. Kinda liked that.

#12

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.

Halloween as we know it began taking shape in North America during the 19th-century Irish and Scottish immigration. Standard offerings to neighbors were grounded in nature rather than sugar, tracing back to the Roman harvest festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees. People handed out fresh apples, nuts, and homemade baked goods, while kids also got homemade taffy at holiday parties.

Some people still follow this tradition today by handing out apples instead of candy.

Around this time, Americans would also carve jack-o’-lanterns out of potatoes and turnips.

#13

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.

#14

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.

#15

A hair tie, but it was an elderly neighbour couple, and I still have it - means the world to me.

The post-war suburban boom in the US created tight-knit neighborhoods where children could safely walk from house to house. At the same time, candy companies realized that mass-produced, individually wrapped sweets were far more convenient and hygienic for homeowners than fresh fruit or baking goods.

Soon, Halloween became a cherished American tradition and a booming multi-billion-dollar industry.

“In America, Halloween found an open commercial slot. It sits in the retail calendar between back-to-school and Christmas, with no competing holiday. Candy makers, retailers and pop-up chains built an entire ecosystem around it,” says Koen Pauwels, professor of marketing at Northeastern University.

#16

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.

#17

My son got a can of spam as a joke, when the giver told him it was not his truer treat, he ran away with the spam, thinking it was the best treat.

#18

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 the faque are you handing out anything?!

Also I've gotten raisins (but jokes on them I like raisins).

Candy’s no surprise the undisputed king of Halloween. Nearly everyone celebrating — about 96% of shoppers in the US — plans to stock up on sugary treats. Estimates suggest Americans plan to spend about $4.1 billion on candy this season.

According to the National Retail Federation, overall Halloween spending is set to shatter records, crossing the $10 billion mark as families go all-out for the holiday.

Yet, even with billions of dollars flowing directly into delicious chocolates and fruity chews, some households clearly missed the memo and decided to splurge on toothbrushes, Bibles, and cough drops instead.

#19

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.

#20

Last year my grandson got Ramen noodles and sauce from Chick-fil-A.

#21

One of those million dollar Jesus bills that looks like real cash. That is just wrong.

#22

Toothbrush from house of dentist.

#23

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.

#24

Some stupid Jehovah's Witness phamplet.

#25

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!

#26

I have hot wheels to give out tonight.

#27

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.

On year I had a bunch of tiny flashlights that were surplus samples from work. The kids loved those. (we also game them candy).

#28

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!

#29

Cough drops. Pretty sure she was drunk. Got some 10 year old expired candy cigs once too.

#30

A post hole digger.

#31

A fortune cookie.

#32

When we where little my sister got a bag of hair!

#33

A mini comic book about how we're all going to hell ...from the house of the school bully.

#34

Crickets. They were edible but still grossed me out.

#35

That house giving out pound coins and full party bags sounds like a legendary Halloween! Definitely a memorable trick or treat experience.

#36

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.

#37

Actually kinda cool, my neighbor gives out treats for dogs.

#38

I got a rock.

#39

I once got a goldfish. Not the snack. A real, living goldfish in water inside a plastic bag.

#40

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.

#41

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.

#42

Not me but two years ago a family gave my child carrots because they ran out of candy.

#43

A popcorn ball, disgusting.

#44

Coffee, sugar, flour wrapped in small squares of aluminum foil.

#45

A mirror with a note taped to the inside about the evils of halloween.

#46

String cheese.

#47

Pickle chips. They were actually pretty good.

47 Times People Expected Candy While Trick-Or-Treating, But Got Something Very Weird Instead

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