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We handed out potatoes for Halloween.

Can bowl filled with Sour Patch Kids, Sweetish Fish, and a potato.
Halloween Candy

This year, our Halloween candy bowl had potatoes mixed in. That’s right, potatoes. As it turns out, some kids love potatoes.

This all started when my wife read something about someone else who did this and how kids loved it. Seemed like a fun thing to do on Halloween, so we thought we’d give it a try.

We bought five pounds of potatoes and would put one in the candy bowl. Then when trick or treaters came up to the house, we’d tell them they could pick something; anything they wanted.

Most picked candy, but occasionally someone would say, “can I have the potato?” I’d say sure, and they’d get super excited. Some kids ran back to their parents yelling “I got a potato! I got a potato!” as if it was the best thing in the world. We even told some kids that they could have the potato and candy, and they didn’t want the candy, just the potato.

To be clear, we didn’t give potatoes to anyone who didn’t want one. It was an option and kids could choose candy or a potato. It was our little trick, which kids loved.

It may seem odd, but those that chose the potato left happier and more excited. They couldn’t wait to tell their parents or friends. It also brought us a lot of happiness. The sheer joy of getting a potato was more than we expected.

As it turns out, giving out potatoes is a thing. Potatoes USA actually encourages giving potatoes instead of candy on Halloween. Not sure if I’d go 100% potatoes, but it’s actually a cool idea.

 The potatoes were a huge success. Next year, we need to get more potatoes if we want to keep up with the demand. I’m sure we could have given out a lot more if we had more. Plus, it’s something the trick or treaters will remember much more than the candy.


1 Response

  1. Sara says:

    I am totally doing this next year!

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