#add reminded me of safy pops and I need a million they’re so stinking good

[dallasgallant]

Time period post: 1960s Halloween

I had a post like this drafted some time ago and I deleted it but I’m bringing it back as I was reminded of some stuff while at the store today. I’ll do this for whatever holiday if requested! There’s some fun stuff here.

Above picture has been labeled 40s but a lot of the decorations were still used by the 60s.

Trick or treat , candy and costumes-

While store bought costumes were becoming more of a thing, they were largely for small children these plastic smocks and masks. Going out most would also use a pillowcase sometimes with a pumpkin face or something spooky drawn on it if it’s extra.

Adults/teenagers did wear costumes but usually for parties or dances, and they were homemade.

Candy wise it wasn’t uncommon to receive fruit (this is before that was lame) or homemade treats like popcorn balls and Carmel apples etc. as this was also a period before people were hyper weary of strangers and you tended to know your community more. There was also store bought candy and I cannot understate just how much Brachs had ruled every holiday when it comes to candy since the beginning of time.

Specials and novelty-

Tv specials! It’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown first aired in 1966 and every year since up until 2020. There were other specials and seasonal such programing, alongside the occasional horror movie but this was also the time of two certain families crept onto television…

The Addams family (1964-1966) and The Munsters( 1964-1966)

Novelty songs in general also cannot be understated when it comes to the 1960s but Halloween had some particular hits.

Monster mash

Love potion no. 9

Witch doctor

The people people eater

Party or mischief? -

People were nuts about dancing in the 60s, they’ve been since the 1910s frankly but this decade was the rise of teen dance shows, continuation of dance/social halls and a lot of dance fads/dance crazes know today like the mashed potato, the twist, the monster mash, the Madison, the watusi etc.

So Halloween dances are to be expected. Dances and masquerade balls particularly had been a long held tradition, there’s an interesting history of a lot of superstition and sweetheart findings/matchmaking on Halloween. Fortune telling, apple bobbing etc a lot of games that are apart of pop culture Halloween parties but have long fizzled out in practice today. Soc’s might be throwing a costume bash at their place, filled with apatizers and holiday stunt food (see food time period post) while Greasers may be… out causing trouble.

It’s trick or treat for a reason after all! Egging! Tping! General just chaos of trouble makers the night before and on Halloween itself.

This also isn’t to say a Soc wouldn’t egg someone’s house and a greaser wouldn’t go to a party but just an example.