# The big problem - low TOT numbers



## YoungHaunter (Oct 5, 2013)

Come halloween, with all your hard work, what happens when you only get 10 tots?!


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## Turbophanx (Jun 30, 2008)

Give those 10, the time of their lives!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Well said^^^!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Consider it an excellent excuse for eating all the leftover candy yourself:googly:


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## CrazedHaunter (Nov 18, 2012)

We have a guy in CalHaunts who put a whole lot of work in his yard display 2 yrs ago and got 1 ToTer. Last year he tripled his ToTers he got 3.


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## YoungHaunter (Oct 5, 2013)

It just feels weird on the big night to see such little use out of your props, looks like i will have to get into the news!


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## Turbophanx (Jun 30, 2008)

Ever think of advertising on your street? or flyers for your area or local school?
Make it a charity event...encourage people to bring canned food.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

In the very first house I owned I could not wait for Halloween; we had one ToTer at about 10:30 at night. I dumped an entire mixing bowl of candy into his bag. He about flipped his lid. The next year we got eight ToTers...him and his friends!

It's great to have a lot, but just have fun with the folks who show up. I live on one of those cut-through streets nobody ever goes down, now folks go out of their way to come see what I'm doing this year, so give it time to build as well. And even so, there are still people in our neighborhood we know who do not know how big we go for Halloween. We just live one street over from all the easy pickings, so we miss a lot because our neighbors are older and do not pass out candy and the houses are too far apart to make it worthwhile to walk our way.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

I only get a couple dozen if I'm lucky. However I have alot of walkers (not zombies) on my street. I get more people coming by to see the progress of the display. There's also a daycare down the block and on nice days they'll walk the kids by the house. I get satisfaction for myself, but if I get more kids, that's great. Like Turbophanx said, you give those who come the time of their lives.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Two reasons to carry on:
To those kids who DO come, yours is a memorable house to ToT at. 
Reason two: let's be honest....we really do this to please ourselves as well. Having the creative outlet is exciting!


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## mudbugntx (Oct 7, 2013)

YoungHaunter, you just keep on doing it for yourself and the locals who do show up. Our first year we had about 8 show up for candy and tons of compliments. Our second year we had 75 or 78 with even more compliments. Word spreads and year after year we seem to get more until all the kids have grown up then it means they take their kids to your house for treats and tricks.


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## shannibal (Aug 14, 2013)

Turbophanx said:


> Ever think of advertising on your street? or flyers for your area or local school?
> Make it a charity event...encourage people to bring canned food.


This is how the haunt I'm involved with runs. It benefits the local food bank and is free- but we request that you bring a canned good. In past years, we ran it so that if you brought a canned good, you moved to the front of the line but so many people brought canned goods it kind of defeated the purpose of the VIP line. This haunt has been running for 3 years I believe, put on by a lawyer in his law office (which is actually an old church- definitely ups the creepy factor!). He does it for his love of Halloween.


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## shannibal (Aug 14, 2013)

Also, social media is your friend- use it to your advantage as well as maybe printing some flyers for local businesses to post. Word of mouth is how I found out about it originally (before I was an actor in it!)


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

debbie5 said:


> Two reasons to carry on:
> To those kids who DO come, yours is a memorable house to ToT at.
> Reason two: let's be honest....we really do this to please ourselves as well. Having the creative outlet is exciting!


agree 100%.


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## talkingcatblues (Apr 29, 2013)

Plus if you're only getting very few kids, is it possible that those kids aren't getting many houses - meaning, you might be one of very few or scattered houses participating? 

Which would make it extra important to those few kids that made the effort that you be there. Otherwise the tradition just fades out.


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## Death's Door (Mar 22, 2006)

debbie5 said:


> Two reasons to carry on:
> To those kids who DO come, yours is a memorable house to ToT at.
> Reason two: let's be honest....we really do this to please ourselves as well. Having the creative outlet is exciting!


Well put. I decorate for myself and if anyone likes to appreciate it and stop by - awesome. It might sound selfish, but there is a lot that I do for others during the rest of the year/holidays that Halloween is my holiday. I don't ask for anything in return except with a little help in putting up the cemetary fence from hubby.

Also, I noticed over the years that some of my neighbors have gotten into the Halloween spirit and starting decorating the house/yards more each year. Nothin' wrong with that.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

I hear from so many people that they decorate more for themselves than for the TOTs, etc.., even people who live in rural areas who get only a few kids, if any. I guess I'm of the opposing mindset. I decorate for the visitors. I enjoy doing it and love the chance to be creative, but there is no way I'd do nearly as much if I only got a handful of kids. Our numbers are consistantly large, which justifies the amount of work we put into our haunt, and we'll continue to do so on a smaller scale after this year, but if our numbers ever dropped way off, I'm sure we'd scale way back on our outdoor decor.


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## MotelSixx (Sep 27, 2008)

I treat it as a season not just a day. I get countless people that drive by and look at my set up all month long. I decorate for everybody, yet nobody. I got into this because of a single house that made a ghost out of a basketball and a sheet. Til the day I die I will never forget that house. And I'm sure that at least one person will be inspired by mine. Whether it's ten people or a thousand I put on the best show I can so that the little ones, and some bigger ones, will be inspired.


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## Hanke's_Haunt (Oct 14, 2013)

At our old house, kids were brought in by the truckload. When we moved, we set up as usual and only had about 20 kids. Disappointed, but we were determined and began spreading the word at school and in the neighborhood. Each year, our crowds have increased as our reputation spread. Another neighbor is now going all out with us, and many others have started putting out more decorations. Now (14 years later) we get so many kids, it looks like a street fair. So spread the word, put out signs, hand out flyers and get the word out.


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## Fright Zone (Sep 28, 2006)

CrazedHaunter said:


> We have a guy in CalHaunts who put a whole lot of work in his yard display 2 yrs ago and got 1 ToTer. Last year he tripled his ToTers he got 3.


hahahaha. I'm not good at math. But is that a ROI of 300%? That sucks.

We had 265 when we did a big one it on my Grandma's busy street. I made a DVD of the whole thing (and hence the youtube videos).

When I moved, we had (2) 10oz bags, and one year (3) 10oz bags. (I go by Kit-Kat bags.) They don't state a count on the package so I'd have to break one open. But I don't want to eat them all :

The way I look at it is I'm the big kid and my parent's like it too. So if anything it's worth it for me. Not selfish it's a different way to feel positive and excited about the opportunity to do yard haunt big or small, recognized or not. And it may be that one kid who's blown away by it and made the ToT and their parent's night. They may do it in the future. And hey. We can document and share them here.


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## Indyandy (Sep 7, 2005)

Yeah, what they said. I am lucky if I get 3 kids. Hence the reason I do a party too. Everyone likes the decor and more people have been asking about the party. Give it time and word will spread. Our neighborhood is mostly older people, but they have grandchildren that are getting old enough to TOT. Who knows, one day I might have 20 kids!  Until then plug and chug along enjoying what we do.


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## Wispurs (Oct 9, 2012)

Ditto with whats all ready been said. 
I build and decorate for me but love to be able to share it .


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

I get about 800 toters and to tell you the truth, I think I enjoyed it more when I got about half that amount. With these numbers it feels like we have to keep things moving, and you don't really get a chance to visit with the neighbors. I've had friends bring their kids over, and I can't just sit back and relax with them. It seems like there is always something that needs tweaking right at that time. And before we could pass out more in the treat area. Now, I try to keep the candy and toy to about .50 per child, and that's hard to do if you want to pass out something cool. But at .50 per child, that's still $400 bucks on just the treat. Like others on here have said, make it the best Trick or Treat for those 10 kids, and they will be telling their kids about it years from now.


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## JOwenR2 (Oct 21, 2013)

Our first year in this house we had very few TOT but the big inflatable Skull lit up with a black light seemed to draw them in. Each year I have to make an extra candy run. Unfortunately that decoration died last year, so I have no Idea how to fill it's void. I really just want another to replace him.


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## Hsnopi (Oct 26, 2012)

I feel the same way about Low TOT. (It's like low T!) I have had more and more each year. THis year I am really bummed. But I'm trying something new so we shall see. I want to see how the freezin fog works.


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## sookie (Oct 12, 2012)

The first year here I had about 7. Last year I had about 40. I am lucky I like on a quiet street but in the front of the development so everyone sees my decorations driving in and out and knows I do Halloween. They specifically bring their kids up front each year. 

This year there are a lot of homes decorated though! It's awesome!


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

If you keep doing the display, each year you will get more and more TOTs. Well assuming you live near other humans that is.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

.:jol: The first year I think I got 40 trick or treaters, (50 if you count the neighbor's son that kept running home and changing costumes and coming back) The next year we ran out of candy twice, and my husband had to keep going to the store, I had 100 that year....and we have grown to around 400 in the last 10 years. But I decorate the first of October and I have a ton if people that stop by during the month, to see my decorations....and I am sure the word has spread. I took this year off but posted a sign explaining...because I don't want people to make a special trip to my yard, and then no decorations....or worse for people to think I died.....


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## Jacksonville Haunter (Apr 21, 2011)

*For Haunters the big night is the most important thing but working in the garage in September on something new I don't even know about yet is a lot of fun. All of us who like to build instead of buy have a blast making spiders, zombies, and fog chillers. Having very low numbers is a let down but remember this can be a year round hobby, if it was not fun we would not be doing it. I made two signs and I am hoping for 50 this year.*


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

10-12 is our average number...we did peak to 18 two years ago, but had to shut down the day before Halloween last year to be out of town for a death in the family. So who knows this year.

I sort of sit on the fence...somewhat dismayed at the low numbers, somewhat surprised we haven't built up the numbers in the past 10+ years...just through word of mouth, and somewhat hesitant to advertize and have 500 or 1000 ToTs show up...which I probably couldn't keep up with!


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## ATLfun (Oct 12, 2012)

YoungHaunter said:


> Come halloween, with all your hard work, what happens when you only get 10 tots?!


Buy king size candy to reward the 10.


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## shannibal (Aug 14, 2013)

I don't know what our numbers were last year for our charity haunt. But this year we are running 3 nights instead of just 2- last Friday and Saturday and then Halloween night. Seemed like our numbers were down but cold/rainy weather and an away football game Friday didn't help. Halloween is trick or treat night so hopefully we will make up for this past weekend!


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