The trinity of divisive Halloween candies is made up of candy corn, marshmallow peanuts, and of course black licorice — perhaps the treat most likely to elicit either only joy or rage when it’s put into one’s candy sack. But there’s one thing that even those who stand firmly on the “love” side of this unbridgeable, anise-flavored chasm should know: When it comes to black licorice, there is such a thing as too much. [More]
halloween
Starbucks Baristas Probably Aren’t Sad That The Zombie Frappuccino Is Already Running Out
By 10.27.17
After giving employees more than six months to recover from this spring’s Unicorn Frappuccino, Starbucks has another limited-time novelty beverage that’s made more for Instagram than for human consumption. Yet the good news (perhaps?) for many of the chain’s employees is that supplies for the drink have already run out in many locations. Darn. [More]
5 Ways To Make Sure You Have A Safe Halloween
By 10.20.17
It’s nearly Halloween, which means costumes, candy, parties, pumpkins, and — again — candy. But just because you’re all jacked up on a sugar high — or by the mere thought of your eventual sugar high — doesn’t mean you and your family can’t be safe this Halloween. [More]
Guy Dresses As 12-Foot CVS Receipt, Redeems Costume’s Discount Code At Actual CVS
By 11.1.16
We’ve seen creative consumers poking fun at CVS for its infamously long receipts in the past, but one Halloween reveler took the idea a bit more literally by dressing as a giant CVS sales slip, complete with working discount code. [More]
Dad Hands Out Candy On Flight So Daughter Won’t Miss Trick-Or-Treating
By 11.1.16
Imagine telling your child they won’t be able to go trick-or-treating. Not a fun image, right? One dad managed to turn a potentially unfortunate situation into a super sweet one, when he made sure his daughter didn’t miss out on Halloween’s biggest tradition just because she was stuck on a plane. [More]
Shoppers Will Spend More Money On Carving Pumpkins Than On Buying Pumpkin Products
By 10.31.16 — Updated: 11.2.16
Every fall it seems like all anyone can ever talk about is “Oh I can’t believe someone is selling pumpkin spice potato chips” or “Really, do we need pumpkin spice shoelaces?” So it may be refreshing to know that when it comes to pumpkins, we’re spending more money to carve them up than we are on buying into the latest pumpkin-flavored craze. [More]
Walmart Pulls “Suicide Scar” Halloween Costume Makeup Kit
By 10.25.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Already this fall, several retailers have pulled Halloween decorations and costumes from their shelves and online stores because they were too dangerous, too creepy, or could be used to further a rash of suspicious incidents involving people dressed as clowns. Now, Walmart is joining those ranks: the retailer is removing what it calls an inappropriate “suicide scar” costume makeup kit. [More]
Target Removes Scary Clown Masks From Stores And Website
By 10.17.16 — Updated: 10.19.16
One casualty of the current series of clown scares and hoaxes across the country has been Ronald McDonald, who McDonald’s sent on vacation while there’s a nationwide rash of suspicious incidents involving people dressed as clowns. Now Target has decided that it doesn’t want to be a supplier to aspiring creepy clowns, and is pulling clown masks from stores and from its website. [More]
Home Depot Pulling Super Creepy Peeping Tom Halloween Decoration
By 9.28.16
There is a profound difference between spooky-scary and scary-scary, a lesson that Home Depot is currently learning the hard way after offering a Peeping Tom Halloween decoration that hits way too close to home for some. [More]
It’s That Time Of Year Again: Halloween Creep Season
By 7.19.16
The Fourth of July is over, and barbecue and pool supplies have sold out, so that leaves a large gap in the seasonal sections of all kinds of stores. Naturally, that means it’s time to haul out the Halloween decorations and merchandise, since there’s nothing better than a rack of skeletons and a shelf of pumpkin spice candles to remind you that summer will be over soon. [More]
Walmart Now Has An Internal “Swat Team” To Prevent Embarrassing Costumes From Hitting Shelves
By 10.30.15
Walmart and its website have a spotted history when it comes to questionable Halloween costumes, like the “Naughty Leopard” outfit for toddlers, or the entire section of Walmart.com dedicated to “Fat Girl Costumes.” In an effort to pre-empt this sort of embarrassment, the retailer now has an internal team tasked with heading off offensive costumes at the pass. [More]
Hardly Anyone Really Dresses As Ebola Nurses Or Pizza Rats For Halloween
By 10.22.15
This may come as a surprise, and I’m sorry if you’re not ready to hear this, but some of-the-moment Halloween costumes that make headlines exist mostly to attract media attention for their marketers. It’s true: last year, apparently no Sexy Ebola Containment Suit costumes were sold, and the same might apply to this year’s Sexy Pizza Rat costume. [More]
Police: Walmart Shopper Doused Halloween Costumes With Lighter Fluid, Set Them On Fire
By 10.14.15
There always has to be someone – or something – that tries to ruin everyone’s favorite spooky holiday: the thief who wiped out a preschoolers’ pumpkin patch, the wild boars that threatened to put a damper on trick-or-treating, and now a California man who allegedly set an aisle of Halloween costumes on fire at Walmart. [More]
Consumers Expected To Spend More Than $6.9 Billion On Halloween Costumes, Candy & Decorations
By 9.24.15
The candy, the costumes, the decorations: it appears that excitement – or rather spending – surrounding the upcoming Halloween holiday isn’t quite what it used to be, with consumers expected to spend less on all the revelry associated with the spooky day than last year at just $6.9 billion. [More]
Tide Detergent Pod Containers Make Easy Trick-Or-Treat Baskets, But Is It A Good Idea?
By 9.10.15
Back in 2012, Procter & Gamble changed the packaging of Tide Pods to look less like candy in a jar after children showed an affinity for putting the colorful, shiny, toxic detergent packets in their mouths. While the move – and constant reminders to keep the detergent far, far away from kids – was meant to deter children from snacking on the poisonous packets, consumers are apparently finding a new use for the bright orange opaque container, a use that some say might not dissuade youngsters from thinking the contents are edible: Halloween candy buckets. [More]
Hostess Makes Candy Corn-Themed Cupcakes For Some Reason
By 8.26.15
It’s not clear whether there’s any flavoring or indeed anything else at all that makes these Hostess Cupcakes more candy corn-ish than any other random yellow cupcake with frosting and sprinkles. What we do know is that they exist, they are orange, yellow, and white, and they are a “limited edition.” Which means that you should stock up or something. [More]
Yes, Here’s A Full Halloween Candy Display At Walgreens
By 7.21.15
Jill knew that her blog readers wouldn’t believe what she had seen, even if she presented them with a photo. At her local Walgreens store, there was a full display of Halloween treats, including candy corn and Snickers pumpkins. Halloween. On July 21. Please, retailers, we’re still uncomfortable at seeing Back-to-School displays in the big-box stores! Don’t do this to us! [More]
Woman Who Lost Wedding Ring Handing Out Halloween Candy Could Use Your Help
By 11.3.14
In what was definitely more of a sad, accidental trick than any sort of Halloween treat, an Arizona woman says she lost her wedding ring somewhere in the sea of candy she gave out Friday night to costumed kids. And though you might think it’s a long shot, she’s asking parents to check those trick-or-treat bags carefully. [More]
