What did you do for Halloween if you were an 80s/early 90s kid?

[90skid13]

If you were a child in the 80s/early 90s, what did Halloween look like for you?

Did you go trick or treating, carve a pumpkin? Was there a school disco, Where the houses decorated where you live?

We didn’t really celebrate Halloween but when I was a teenager it would be scary films and ghost stories.

80s, We had a pumpkin and a spooky tea, which we ate just in the candle light from the pumpkin. No disco, no trick treating. Maybe brownies would have had a witch dress up night, I remember bobbing for apples but maybe that was for guy fawkes, I forget.

It wasn't the big deal we now make it.

Nothing. My parents always said it was too 'American'. But they were also anti anything fun, so it was probably that!

We had a neighbour who strongly objected to trick and treating said it was “American” (how awful!) but we did it with others and I remember we went to one house - this would have been maybe 1980 and the man gave us all £1 we thought we were so rich but it was a lot of money! And we had home made costumes mainly made from bin bags- witches dress and then a hat with black card into a cone. Def did apple bobbing and games.

Nothing. The best Halloween I had was when I went with a friend to an American army base and came home with a bag full of sweets.

Nothing - my parents didn’t approve.

Nothing. American nonsense.

I didn’t go trick or treating but most of my friends did. We played Halloween themed games at home instead and watched a spooky film and the school held a big Halloween party every year.

I remember going to one party when i was about 5 (1991) I wore a bin bag with a hole cut for my head a cheap witch's hat and carried a broom made from an old handle and twigs my Mum and and i collected walking in the woods. We were never allowed to go trick or treating though all my friends did. I only remember once carving a pumpkin too, my Auntie brought it and thought it woold be fun for us to do together. I don't recall people decorating their houses back then unless they were hosting a party, nothing was done at school. I love dressing up but have nowhere to go these days.

A lot of effort went into home-made costumes each year. I don’t remember a disco as such, but there must have been something in early primary school because I remember my mum had volunteered to do realistic make-up wounds for the children.

Usually some very local trick or treating, though I remember once staying with my English grandma for it and she didn’t want to disturb neighbours and instead arranged for us to go to visit one of her friends who admired my costume and gave me a Tunnock’s teacake or Snowball while they had a cup of tea.

I remember spooky churchyard walks with a lit pumpkin with my American grandmother.

We always did pumpkins but not other outdoor decorations. I used to be given free rein with a few spooky indoor things like webs and spiders though.

An American neighbour once put on a great party for older children.

It’s funny because I was talking about it to dh.

He was born the same year as me and he used to carve a pumpkin and go trick or treating.

We didn’t even carve a pumpkin, I didn’t even know it was a thing.

We did get trick or treaters knocking the door occasionally and sometimes my mum would give them any lose change she had in.

Weird because we celebrated Christmas, Easter, Bonfire night, pancake day, but pretty much ignored Halloween.

I also had the bin bag witch costume! A cheap sweaty plastic mask from the local shop. My mum would carve a swede - I have no idea how the hell she managed that. I can still smell the burning swede now! She'd even do little holes to tie a string through it so we could carry it around.

And yes we did go trick or treating, just on our own street to other houses with kids.

I remember we combined with bonfire night and at least once wore a cardboard witches hat, bonfire in the garden with chilli and baked potatoes. I do remember those plastic face masks with elastic as well but I think trick or treating wasn't really a thing although we knew of it. Remember my brother carving a swede which was a thankless task.

Born 1981 North Wales. Didn’t do anything much for Halloween. I never went trick or treating and can’t remember anyone coming to our house.
Maybe a vague memory of carving a turnip once.
In the early 80s it was seen as something more for older kids, and to quote my mother “American rubbish”, then by the time it got a bit more popular in the 90s I was too old!
I do remember it being a big thing when I was a student though, late 90s/early 00s, there would be parties and special Halloween nights in the students union!

I'm a bit older, so 70s and 80s kid. Halloween wasn't A Thing. I only remember apple bobbing.

Ps bonfire night was more the big thing, everyone went out for that and there would be local bonfires and fireworks, we’d have baked potatoes and toffee apples. Sometimes family gatherings too with fireworks in the garden

I do think the trick or treaters who went round definitely were more inclined to play a trick if they felt the need. Remember rumours of houses being egged and floured.

Nothing

I just feel validated to have found the others who didn't trick or treat! I always stayed home, maybe we watched a spooky film and a couple of times there was a school disco, but definitely nothing like now. I think back then there was a much more even split of who did and didn't celebrate.

Carved a turnip , bobbed for apples in the washing up bowl , looked up at the sky for witches . Exciting eh !

Nothing. Rarely a few kids would go trick or treating but they actually did tricks (usually toilet paper all over people’s gardens) and it caused so much trouble.

We did however celebrate Guy Fawkes night - every year we made black treacle toffee, we might do apple bobbing or eating marshmallows dangling off string. And we’d have a huge bonfire in our back garden and go to the Scouts firework display, if it didn’t get rained off.

We had Halloween parties at school and brownies. Prizes for the best costume, ducking for apples.
Then we went guising (not trick or treating) round neighbours and friends where we told a joke or sang a song and got a handful of monkey nuts, a tangerine and a mini mars bar.

The good old days

Primary school in the 80’s… we had a Halloween disco which was probably only an hour long, but it was the highlight of my year. No trick or treating around us, but I remember all the local shops sold witches hats (made from cardboard!), brooms, spooky masks, plastic witch fingers and Dracula teeth. So much fun

(Edit to say- we were a catholic school so it was probably totally inappropriate!)

Yes to all of those. Most houses weren't decorated to the level some are now (but a few were). Mostly just a carved pumpkin. We only trick or treated at houses that had a pumpkin outside. I'd say my kids halloween is pretty similar to how mine was, other than we do halloween themed half term activities that didn't exist so much when I was a child.

Trick or treat was mostly older teens doing tricks. One year we did have a load of American servicemen living locally (we were near an airbase) and we all got loads of sweets but it was a one off.

We would do Apple bobbing at brownies/guides around that times.

1980's Ireland on a housing estate.

All the kids went trick or treating dressed in a bin bag and a mask. You got mandarins, monkey nuts or a 2p piece. Couldn't afford eggs or flour even if we wanted to play a trick on anyone.

Bonfire after that was lit by the parents. Prepared for weeks in advance by all the kids.
Tea was bairín breac(fruit bread) to see who got the ring .