Halloween Collectibles

 

Halloween Collectibles

 Halloween Treats of the Past

Candy Container Collectibles

 Food has been a part of Halloween tradition for centuries.  In the earliest days of the celebration beggars would go from house to house seeking handouts from the residents.  In the belief that handing food to these wanderers of the night would keep the souls of the dead satisfied residents handed out Soul Cakes to those who knocked at the door. 

 

Modern day tradition continues to find trick-or-treaters, usually children and teens, traveling from neighbor to neighbors' houses in search of the candy treats.  As in days past, trick-or-treaters need a container to collect and keep safe their sweet treat donations. 

 

 

Halloween Candy Containers from Germany

There is a great deal of variety in the types of candy containers made and the type of candy containers.  Most candy containers were produced in Germany.   The containers produced in Germany were made of a variety of materials, including papier-mâché, cardboard, wood, and plaster.  Favorite themes for the candy containers included cats, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and devils.  German candy containers were typically made in two parts.  The top was often a hat or a head that lifted up to reveal the candy in the bottom portion of the container.    

 

Candy Containers of the United States 

Candy containers were produced in the United States by two main companies.  The Dennison Company located in Framingham, Massachusetts and the Beistle Company located  in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.  The decade of the 1920s was the height of candy container manufacturing.  Nut cups decorated with black crepe paper and bows were made in the forms of cats, devils, and pumpkins.  Boxes to hold nuts and other small candies, place cards, and Halloween themed stickers were popular at this time. 

 

Japan began producing and marketing a variety of Halloween items in the 1930s.  The items made in Japan were  decorative pieces make of glass, porcelain, and celluloid. 

 

Trick-or-Treat Bags and Plastic Pumpkins

Trick-or-treat bags made of paper made their debut in the 1940s.  By the 1960s bags with advertising and a Halloween illustration were becoming more common.  As these bags were meant to be used one time and then discarded  They are highly prized by some collectors because so few have survived.

 

With new materials being developed at lower production costs and increased durability, the plastic  pumpkin candy container became a standard item in the 1950s.  These plastic containers usually feature an orange pumpkin  with a broad smile and large black eyes.  The plastic pumpkin containers come in a variety of sizes.  No party is complete without pumpkin container favors filled with candy treats. Many children carry larger pumpkin containers to hold candy received from going door-to-door trick-or-treating in their neighborhood.

 

 

 

Till next time, stay well, stay happy.