Kids Who Grew Up In The 70s & 80s Experienced 9 Things That Made Halloween Feel Weirdly Magical
melissamn / ShutterstockHalloween was on another level back in the 70s and 80s. Kids could go trick-or-treating unsupervised and spend hours wandering outside with friends, comparing candy hauls and costumes.
They knew pretty much everyone in the neighborhood, so they planned ahead, mapping out which homes were most likely to have full-sized candy bars and where there was a dog you probably didn't want to mess with, carrying their candy around in their pillowcases the whole way. It all added up to a great time that was magical beyond the witch masks and plastic cauldrons brimming with candy.
These 9 things made Halloween feel weirdly magical for kids growing up in the 70s and 80s
1. Homemade costumes
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Sure, some kids still have homemade costumes, but it's far from the norm. With stores like Spirit Halloween, mass-produced, trending character costumes are what most of them wear today. Don’t get me wrong. They're usually pretty cute, and it’s fun to see kids dressed as their favorite characters. But there was something special about everyone wearing something their moms created with a unique vision.
The costumes we wear say a lot about our personalities. Each choice is a way to embrace our creativity. When a kid wore a homemade costume, it was especially creative because they had an image in their head that they and their mom developed and executed all on their own.
2. Pillowcases as candy holders
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When I was a kid, candy baskets became a commercial spectacle. I remember picking out a plastic bag with handles from the store with some cartoon character on it. Best believe I always chose Scooby-Doo, but that’s beside the point. Looking back now, this was a money grab and an environmental nightmare, but I still remember it, so it must have made an impression.
Kids in the 70s and 80s kept it simple, and they were onto something. They already had pillowcases at home. Plus, they were way bigger than any little bag I used for trick-or-treating.
3. Freely roaming around the neighborhood
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If you grew up in the 90s or later, you know trick-or-treating was far from an independent experience. When I was growing up, we would have a slew of parents walking with us. In fact, I think they used it as their own social outing. The term helicopter parent was coined in the 90s for a reason. We were constantly being watched. Meanwhile, our parents' generation could roam the streets without a problem when they were young.
The 70s and 80s were a different time for kids. They had more freedom. Because their parents often worked late, they were on their own for the evening. Even if their parents were home, they were often more flexible with their kids’ behavior. They’d trust their neighbors and let them have the time of their lives in the evenings.
4. Those homemade popcorn balls
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Halloween used to have a heartfelt vibe. Sure, it’s the spookiest day of the year, but lots of people put time and effort into the treats they’d pass out. If you’ve watched any older Halloween movies, you have probably seen trick-or-treaters get those giant popcorn balls. To younger generations, this makes no sense. We’re used to packaged candy, not well-crafted treats.
Handing out candy was more unique during this period. People had fun with what they handed out. They didn’t go to the store and buy a giant bag of mass-produced candy. Instead, they put time into something they thought the kids would like. However, that didn't last forever.
5. Checking every piece of candy with care
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Homemade treats were a sweet idea until a rumor started. During the 70s and 80s, the media and advice columns started telling parents to be careful with their children’s candy. Allegedly, people were putting razor blades inside of the homemade treats. This hoax spread from generation to generation, though a study found tampering with candy from the 1950s through the 1980s was actually extremely rare.
Of course, this sounds scary, but it somehow added to the fun. At the end of the night, kids would pour out their bags and study their candy to make sure they had successfully avoided collecting anything from the boogeyman's house. They knew how much they had and what they got, and probably snuck too many pieces before bedtime.
6. Weird treats like pennies
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Sometimes, kids didn’t receive candy at all. Instead, they’d get pennies or apples or even coupons. This doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as a hearty serving of candy, but many loved this tradition, and it has a really wholesome history. Some kids in the 1950s would trick-or-treat with milk cartons to collect pennies as donations for UNICEF following World War II. Although collecting for a good cause became less prominent, the tradition stuck around.
Getting pennies on Halloween sounds silly to us now, mostly because the penny is being eliminated from our currency. However, pennies used to go a long way, and they could cash them in for candy of their choice at the local store.
7. Wax lips and teeth
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I love looking at old photos of kids wearing those ridiculous wax lips or exaggerated Dracula fangs. I think they look so fun. Then, however, I remember they are made of wax. I’ve had my fair share of these accessories before and know they are both uncomfortable and gross. For some reason, kids from this generation liked them a lot more than my generation did.
The rise of the wax lip started in the early 1900s, and kids in the 60s, 70s, and 80s loved getting them as a Halloween treat. Many companies cashed in on the trend. It was a simple activity, but it was an easy way to change their appearance on Halloween.
8. Actually playing tricks on one another
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Playing tricks on one another used to be what Halloween was all about. In the early days, there were no treats, just tricks. However, it all got out of hand. In the early 1900s, people weren’t playing mindless tricks anymore; they were being destructive. This behavior carried on through generations.
Since kids in the 70s and 80s weren’t watched by their parents, they had chances to play more tricks. In fact, it became known as the Halloween problem, where kids were causing chaos outside. Now, if you pull a trick on Halloween, you’ll probably get in trouble.
9. Watching spooky movie marathons all day long
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There are few things I love more than a good horror movie or Halloween special. When I was growing up, I would look forward to the spooky cartoons on TV all season. In the 70s and 80s, nearly every show had its own Halloween special. These shows would run on loop, bringing the haunted vibes all day. It was a fun time to be a kid.
They would look forward to these marathons all year. Even when they weren’t out trick-or-treating, they were watching someone do it on TV. This made the day more magical because it was all Halloween-related.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
