# What are you passing out to the tots this year? (2012)



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Last year I gave out the easter eggs decorated to look like sugar skulls, and the light up marracas. They were a BIG hit. The neighbors talked about them for weeks. And I even had a girl come up to my house about a month ago and asked if I had any left. So I guess this year people will be expecting a lot.

I don't know if it will top last year's, but I just got 700 of these from OTC last week. They are suppose to look like stop watches, but they are really just lights. I like hitting the "oops sales" from OTC, because with getting 700 tots I have to watch the money. These came out to 20 cent a piece, so I can still afford to throw in a candy bar and sucker, and keep it in my 50 cent per child range.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/b...ku=24/1835-BV&mode=Browsing&categoryId=389891


----------



## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Good idea to look now. I haven't even thought that far. At the after-Halloween sales last year, I picked up bags of different bugs to give out. I gave out glow bracelets the year before, but I couldn't crack them and give them out fast enough.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

We've been handing out the glow bracelets for a couple years now. They're dirt cheap (I think we get 15 for $1.00), everyone likes them, and they're perfect for getting a pretty accurate count on the number of ToTs we get. You do have to prep them a bit ahead of time, because as remylass noted, once the kids start showing up, you can't keep up.

We also hand out the mini or fun size candy bars.


----------



## The Halloween Lady (Aug 18, 2010)

scareme said:


> Last year I gave out the easter eggs decorated to look like sugar skulls, and the light up marracas. They were a BIG hit. The neighbors talked about them for weeks. And I even had a girl come up to my house about a month ago and asked if I had any left. So I guess this year people will be expecting a lot.
> 
> I don't know if it will top last year's, but I just got 700 of these from OTC last week. They are suppose to look like stop watches, but they are really just lights. I like hitting the "oops sales" from OTC, because with getting 700 tots I have to watch the money. These came out to 20 cent a piece, so I can still afford to throw in a candy bar and sucker, and keep it in my 50 cent per child range.
> 
> http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/b...ku=24/1835-BV&mode=Browsing&categoryId=389891


OMG.... 700 TOTs?!?!?! WOW thats amazing. I a super jealous!


----------



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

I give out the glow bracelets and mini candy bars. I would also like to give out the big candy bars again this year. Last year I couldn't do that. 

I recently bought a Pumpkin Piggy bank from the Monster Mania Convention this year and I am going to leave him in charge of the finances. His name is Bacon and he's the official Halloween Treasurer. I sat down with him and mapped out a plan of what would be needed for the upcoming Halloween festivities. As long as I keep up my end of the agreement and make the weekly deposits of change to him, he will monitor the situation. With his help, I think I can accomplish this.


----------



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

The Halloween Lady said:


> OMG.... 700 TOTs?!?!?! WOW thats amazing. I a super jealous!


Yeah, that's why I try to keep it to .50 per tot. Even at that It comes out to $350 for that one night of the year. But I think it's worth it.



Da Weiner said:


> I give out the glow bracelets and mini candy bars. I would also like to give out the big candy bars again this year. Last year I couldn't do that.
> 
> I recently bought a Pumpkin Piggy bank from the Monster Mania Convention this year and I am going to leave him in charge of the finances. His name is Bacon and he's the official Halloween Treasurer. I sat down with him and mapped out a plan of what would be needed for the upcoming Halloween festivities. As long as I keep up my end of the agreement and make the weekly deposits of change to him, he will monitor the situation. With his help, I think I can accomplish this.


That's a great idea! I'm getting a bank this week and throwing change in. I'll have to hide the quarters. The kids like to take those for washing the car, theirs, not ours. lol

The tots really seem to like light up things. I like that it makes them eaiser to see at night.


----------



## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

scareme said:


> That's a great idea! I'm getting a bank this week and throwing change in. I'll have to hide the quarters. The kids like to take those for washing the car, theirs, not ours. lol
> 
> The tots really seem to like light up things. I like that it makes them eaiser to see at night.


We don't spend any change that we can help during the year. Even if a total is $10.03, I give the poor cashier $11. Last Halloween season when we cashed it in, it was $299.75. Not bad for our half hearted effort. It would be more if we used our debit cards less.

Back to the topic at hand, light up things are a good idea. I try to also stick around 50 cents a kid. This is why they end up with bugs and such. The glow bracelets were a huge hit. I got them at Michaels in the dollar bin. They were very cost effective, but just such a pain.


----------



## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

We will be giving out candy bars, suckers, and potato chips. I have thought of having a few special items to randomly give out during the night, just to add a nice little Halloween memory to some tots.


----------



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

kprimm said:


> We will be giving out candy bars, suckers, and potato chips. I have thought of having a few special items to randomly give out during the night, just to add a nice little Halloween memory to some tots.


Chips are a good idea kprimm, as not all kids can have candy bars. My great nephew is allergic to chocolate. Poor kid. Last year my niece took him, age 6, and his sister, age 4 out toting. Niece,Angie, said at the first couple of houses, Gavin told the people he was allergic to chocolate, did they have anything else? The people said no and felt bad. So Angie told him not to tell any more houses, just take the candy bars, and she would exchange them for gummie snacks when they got home. So the next house he takes the candy bar, says Thank you, and steps away. Then his little sister Maddie steps up, says and says "What else do you have for my brother? He's allergic to chocolate, and my Mother won't let him tell you." Angie said she almost dropped through the floor. She said not only do they feel bad for Gavin, but they look at her like "What kind of Mother are you?" She also said when they go back out toting this year, she bets everyone will have something non-chocolate to give Gavin, since she thinks they stuck out from the crowd this year. lol


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Dang..I'm cheap. I do 20 cents a kid.

I usually have red licorice (cheap) Smarties (cheap) or Frooties (like a Tootsie roll but fruity)..I can't afford chocolate. I usually keep some small toys for kids who are extra polite or have costumes which please me...this year I have about about 120 parachute men I got 90% off last year.


----------



## ladysherry (Jan 25, 2012)

At my old house we had 300+ Tot's so I would give out the flavor-ice already frozen. $2.50 for 100 of them. After the second year I was known as the ice cream lady. Even the parents started to ask for them. I have since moved and only get about 30 Tot's so I give out goody bags filled with candy and trinkets.


----------



## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

I wish we got to 300. Last year we had around 40 or so. At the same time, my family made it a neighborhood outreach thing. We give the kids full size candy bars, really only 40 to 50 cents each if you buy the pack at Sams club. 

For the adults and any kid that wanted it, we bought ball park franks, grilled them out, had buns and condiments, and made hot Apple cider and hot chocolate to boot. We got through about 50 hot dogs last year and it was a blast. So maybe you can keep your 300 or 700 kids. I like the neighborhood feel, although I wouldn't mind over 100 total to keep the night moving.


----------



## QueenRuby2002 (Oct 23, 2011)

We live in the middle of nowhere and don't get TOTers. our haunt is manily for a party we throw for the Kids and there classmates. That being the case last year at lest we made so much food we were sending kids home with cupcakes and cookies. We have been haveing a debate on if we should scale down on the food or leave it as the kids are still talking about the party and can't wait untill next year. I have visions of more kids showing up!!


----------



## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

scareme said:


> Chips are a good idea kprimm, as not all kids can have candy bars. My great nephew is allergic to chocolate. Poor kid. Last year my niece took him, age 6, and his sister, age 4 out toting. Niece,Angie, said at the first couple of houses, Gavin told the people he was allergic to chocolate, did they have anything else? The people said no and felt bad. So Angie told him not to tell any more houses, just take the candy bars, and she would exchange them for gummie snacks when they got home. So the next house he takes the candy bar, says Thank you, and steps away. Then his little sister Maddie steps up, says and says "What else do you have for my brother? He's allergic to chocolate, and my Mother won't let him tell you." Angie said she almost dropped through the floor. She said not only do they feel bad for Gavin, but they look at her like "What kind of Mother are you?" She also said when they go back out toting this year, she bets everyone will have something non-chocolate to give Gavin, since she thinks they stuck out from the crowd this year. lol


I bag all of our candy into treat bags. One bag has one piece of "premium" chocolate fun size candy, a non chocolate like starbursts or skittles, another candy, usually chocolate, and a small toy. Lots of kids have nut allergies, so I have chocolate without nuts if they tell me that. I got that idea on this forum.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

We offer those mini versions of candy-bars, bags of peanuts (still in the shell), and small activity books that are filled with mazes, wordsearch puzzles, jokes, riddles, etc., all using the Halloween themes. The peanuts have actually been really popular for the last 8 or 9 years. Kids see the size of the bag and look at as a "better deal" than the candy bars. We limit the TOTs to one item per person, and follow a strict no costume, no candy policy. Some parents who have kids with problems with peanut allergies are really happy to see the activity books, their kids get to walk away with something that poses no risk to their health. We use snack sized ziplock bags for the peanuts. What doesn't get given out of the peanuts gets consumed over the next few weeks, the activity books get stored for next year, and the candy gets hidden from the family diabetic.


----------



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

We'll be sticking with the fun sized candy bars. With close to 650 TOT's it's a better bargain for us.


----------



## Merlyn67 (Nov 30, 2008)

This year we are going to give out those candied insects, they come in little boxes from Hotlix...and up the creep factor higher.


----------



## FredKrueger (Apr 12, 2012)

I usually get about 100 kids at my yard haunt, and I always give out a variety of candy. I always have tootsie rolls, smarties, lolipops, gum, chocolates and gummies. 

I prefer not to have the candy loose, but put it in those little printed Halloween paper bags, those have always been a tradition with my family. 

I am very excited to use the glo blacelet idea this year, I had never thought of that before, and I agree that it's great to make them visible to drivers! I plan to buy about 50 or so and give them to the smaller kids.


----------



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Fred Krueger said:


> I am very excited to use the glo blacelet idea this year, I had never thought of that before, and I agree that it's great to make them visible to drivers! I plan to buy about 50 or so and give them to the smaller kids.


You'd be suprised how many of the older kids will ask for them too. I guess on Halloween everyone is just a big kid.


----------



## imthegoddess (Feb 3, 2012)

jdubbya said:


> We'll be sticking with the fun sized candy bars. With close to 650 TOT's it's a better bargain for us.


Wow, that's a lot of TOT's. Is that because of your display, or do you have a very large, active TOT area? We're lucky to get 60 or so. I've seen kids too lazy to cross to a different side of the street. LOL! when we were kids, we hit every house in the neighborhood. What's wrong with these kids?


----------



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

imthegoddess said:


> Wow, that's a lot of TOT's. Is that because of your display, or do you have a very large, active TOT area? We're lucky to get 60 or so. I've seen kids too lazy to cross to a different side of the street. LOL! when we were kids, we hit every house in the neighborhood. What's wrong with these kids?


I think our numbers are high due to our walk through haunt, and they've stayed pretty consistant for the past several years. Prior to us expanding our haunt, we'd get maybe 100-150 kids. Our neighbors have had to ramp up their own efforts as well since we draw so many, but they enjoy it. I agree with you on when we were kids. We'd draw up a grid a couple weeks before and map out our plan. It was great!!


----------



## FredKrueger (Apr 12, 2012)

scareme said:


> You'd be suprised how many of the older kids will ask for them too. I guess on Halloween everyone is just a big kid.


Lol, you're right! Better double my order.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I second the comment on glow bracelets. We've been giving them out for a couple years now and they are popular with all ages, and with both guys and girls.


----------



## halloween71 (Aug 9, 2007)

We only get around 50-60 tots.This year will be light up fangs-tattos-candy.


----------



## Stringy Jack (Apr 15, 2012)

Same as the last few years small bags of chips and a Halloween toy. They love it because the chips are salty and the toys different.


----------



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

WE only get 20-40 kids so we make up goody bags with 4-5 pieces of candy and some sort of goofy Halloween toy. If our haunt attendance ever goes through the roof we might reevaluate, but we usually make up about 100 of them and give them out to TOTs and party guests. (Then eat what's left)


----------



## typoagain (Feb 27, 2012)

Strange question. Has anyone tried to buy candy in bulk from a wholesaler? We are knocking around the idea of a few of us getting togeather and buying a couple of hundred dollars of candy for each us. We are just wondering if by buying $400-$500 at a time we can get enough of a price break to make it worth the trouble.

I good friend of mine had a video of his house that went viral. You like crowds? try dealing with then after the cops come shut you down because your causing a traffic jam at the major intersection-3 blocks away.

Anyway, he has gone to a massive amount of trouble to be better prepared for this year. Candy runs to Walgreen's at the last minute is something he is trying to avoid. I could use quite a bit of candy for work. For example I went through 350 candy canes last Christmas. We give candy out for the week before Halloween and last year I took 10 lbs myself, we ran out every time we turned around.-
Most of us just want to get a better price on a fair sized lot of candy.


----------



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

On a related note. We have a neighborhood here in my town that we refer to as Halloween Central. Nothing special as far as decorating goes, they're just a well situated neighborhood bear the center of town with close houses and safe sidewalks so yet get mobbed every year.

A couple of years ago, folks from quiter neighborhoods organized an effort to gather candy to donate to folks in the besieged neighborhood. The folks in HC had no ideas the first year until they were told that a local business had been collecting for them. 

I would never expect people to supplement my candy needs but I thought it was a nice, neighborly gesture.


----------



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Good question, typoagain. Since I get about 700 tots in runs me about $350 to $400 for treats. The only place I have looked has been OTC and I didn't care for the quality of the candy. Although I do get my toys from them. I usually just watch the stores and start picking up bags in Sept. I would love to find someplace cheaper, but then the shipping would probably eat up any savings. And yes, we have had to make the candy runs to Walgreens at 8:00 pm on Halloween night several times. I think I have enough, but I must underestemate what my helpers are eating. lol 
wanderrob, that is nice of others to help them out. Most of my neighbors just stopped passing out candy once the numbers got so high.


----------



## typoagain (Feb 27, 2012)

I used to buy products for a wholesaler for a business I had. I was a very small customer and only bought $300-$400 a year.

But I have not carried a business license for years and this place is wholesale only. I just do not know if they are going to carry the type of candy I would want and if they would sell to an individual if it was an order for say $400-$500 at once.

I would love to give out chocolate, but for something like this I would need to get candy that had a long shelf life. That way if I don't use it all this year, I can use it next.

For example, Christmas before last I bought 6 carts full of candy canes at Walmart the night before New Year's Eve. I even bought it at 3am no less. I got it all for 80% off. After all the strange stares and odd looks, I took it home and took it out of the boxes. I put it in one Rubbermaid tub and had a lot of room left over. They then went into the top of the closet in the guest room. When I took it out 11 months later it tasted as good as the new ones.

It ends up that the boxes had an expiration date 26 months after I bought them. The key is to store them in a cool, dry place out of direct light.

Chocolate, I would be scared to store that long. But other types of candy, maybe not so much. I am sure a wholesaler could give me direction on storage time and methods. But one key factor is that I would want to handle all of this so that I can receive the candy by the first of October at the latest


----------



## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Last year was a bust for me because we got rained out. I had made 350 treat bags since that is what we have had in years past. I had color coded bags according to what kind of 'trick or treater' was visiting. For children in costumes I had black ribboned bags with a full size chocolate bar (KitKat, Milky Way, Snickers or Reeses Cup) glow in the dark vampire teeth, bat ring, bouncy ball, tootsie pop, and glow bracelet, for kids not dressed up I had green ribboned bags that had a full size chocolate, and glow braclet, and tootsie pop, for adults that had no costume they got the orange ribboned bags that had 2 mini tootsie rolls and dum dum suckers. For adults in costume they got the black ribboned bags too. It was a lot of work and I had so much candy left over that I gave away after Halloween. Halloween night the rain started at 5:00 and rained ALL NIGHT! Not drizzle but pouring rain. It cut our normal amount of trick or treaters down to 150.  I am hoping for anything but rain this year.


----------



## Blackrose1978 (Aug 13, 2011)

I found a box in storage that contained mini treat bags left over from my 30th birthday that I forgot about. They have either vampire teeth or a bat ring and all have a sticker in them. All I have to do is add either candy corn or mini candy bar to them and I am set. The most tricker treaters I have gotten in years past is 10-15! this year since My yard haunt is going to finally be in full swing (last year I had surgery and was just starting to come off the crutches on Halloween so I couldn't set up like I wanted to!) So I am hoping for more trick or treaters.


----------



## MurrayTX (Nov 4, 2011)

*non-food stuffs*

I will get ignorant with the candy again, as that was the highlight of my childhood experiences. But simply put, there are too many mouths to feed where I am. Rather than go broke giving out multiple pieces or the "fun size" of the good stuff (lesson learned), , I will buy grosses of kitsch from Oriental Trading Co. Think of the fun bags some of you do, but with a few hundred lining up like it's Black Friday. Too many to bag. Will do an assembly line of candy-sticker-plastic thing by my wife while i go full on in my side yard/alley yard haunt.


----------



## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

taking this year off from setting up a haunt so I don't expect any ToTers.  
Normally, I give out a goody bag full of candy, glow bracelet, maybe a small toy (from the Dollar store).
....thinking to self.. I spend way too much money on my ToTers. ....


----------



## spinachetr (Nov 9, 2009)

I am giving out 21" of sugary goodness. Giant Pixy Stix. I got them for around $.40 each.







. 
Might also buy 



 or these, but I think parents would kill me if I added a whistle to their kids sugar high:


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

LOL, there are going to be some hyped up kids in your neighborhood come Halloween this year, spinach


----------



## screaminscott (Oct 13, 2006)

Last year we had over 300 TOT's. We've been making snack bags for the past couple of years. They have 3 pieces of snack-sized candy and a toy. The toys I get at after-Halloween sales. (spiders, pumpkin erasers, etc). I keep some peanut-free candy for kids with allergies, if they ask. But other than that, everyone gets the same thing.


----------



## Deadlands (Jun 13, 2011)

> What are you passing out to the tots this year? (2012)


Sheer terror.


----------



## graveyardmaster (May 14, 2012)

well i will be handing out candy bars,toffee apples,peanuts,mixture of sweets,before you know it halloween will be here:jol:


----------



## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

This year I have finger led lights, Glow in the dark bounce balls, Will prob pick up glow bracelets and candy as well, I am thinking about placing a wall with different holes (spider hole, snake hole, Etc..) where they will have to stick there hand all the way in and press a button. I will place a different prize above each hole and let them decide what they want. Of course there will be threads or zip ties in the spider hole and other stuff in the other holes just to creep them out.


----------



## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

I usually average about 350 to 400 TOT'ers to my haunt. The problem that I have is a few years ago the high schools and malls started handing out candy. Then the local church's started having these "Harvest Celebrations" on Halloween night. So it has cut into some of the TOT's coming out to the neighborhood.

I have always bought the big bags of the fun size mixed. I let the kids pick 2 pieces each and they seem to be happy with the selection that I have. I buy the mainstream candy and get enough to supply for about 400. 

Since I have a haunted yard, I have a cauldron outside with mini spots shinning into the pot of candy. Inside I have a head looking back at them, which they don't expect. They always take a step back or two when they reach in to grab the candy. Like most people I think, my count always go down if Halloween is during the weekday but always picks up when it's on the weekends. 

I also mix in spider, bat, and skull rings, for kids to get as well, they always ask if it's the rings or the candy. The younger ones get excited when I tell them they can have both.


----------



## MurrayTX (Nov 4, 2011)

400 TOTs?! I thought I had a good turnout, but I am sure I had many reruns. Are you surrounded by apmt complexes? Do you use hoses for crowd control?


----------



## BunchOfHocusPocus (May 23, 2012)

Mostly chocolate bars. 3 Muskateers. Milky Way. Snickers. Hershey bars. Reese's Cups. Kit Kats. and might add Willy Wonka mix ups this year.


----------



## Acid PopTart (Oct 29, 2007)

Years ago I managed a comic book store and companies started producing smaller sized comics for people to give away to ToTs. It was things like Halloween Scooby Doo and I know DC did something every year, but cannot remember. Not sure if they do it since my ordering days are over. But I'm still very much in the comic subculture with modeling and writing my own comic now and was just clearing out space for the new and expanded sewing room which will need to share space with the comic collection from hell. Turns out I have excess stock from various Free Comic Book Day most stores participant in, so I think I'm giving out comics this year, they are more full size so may not fit into ToT bags very well. I'd like to do something different than candy. Since my husband and I are such "foodies", we may be doing some popcorn flavoured with parmesan and basil or Old Bay, maybe fancy caramel apples... we just love to cook and if we go with the carnivale theme, it could all tie in.


----------



## Wethier (Jul 20, 2012)

RoxyBlue said:


> We've been handing out the glow bracelets for a couple years now. They're dirt cheap (I think we get 15 for $1.00), everyone likes them, and they're perfect for getting a pretty accurate count on the number of ToTs we get. You do have to prep them a bit ahead of time, because as remylass noted, once the kids start showing up, you can't keep up.
> 
> We also hand out the mini or fun size candy bars.


Where do u typically buy them from?


----------



## typoagain (Feb 27, 2012)

Wethier said:


> Where do u typically buy them from?


My local Michael's stocks them year around. I buy them 10 boxes at a time for the kids at work. I try to have a couple of hundred of them on had at Halloween.

One really nice thing about them is they will keep for years. So having a few extra on hand just in case is not that big a deal.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I cannot afford anything chocolate.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Wethier said:


> Where do u typically buy them from?


What typo said - Michaels carries them and the last couple years the price has been $1 for a container of 15 bracelets.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Target has them, too (intermittently) ...in the dollar section at front of store..they sell out very fast.


----------



## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

MurrayTX said:


> 400 TOTs?! I thought I had a good turnout, but I am sure I had many reruns. Are you surrounded by apmt complexes? Do you use hoses for crowd control?


I live in a neighborhood that is well established and are all single family homes. We have people come from all over from surrounding areas within our city. I even have people come from other cities to see my haunt. There's one guy who lives on the next street over, he invites his relatives that live 70 miles away and they come every year.

I also have a elementary, middle, and high school that are several blocks away from where I live, so I always have a really good turnout except during the middle of the week like it is this year. May be a little lower than normal for me. :jol:


----------

