Be scared....
I know that trick-or-treat is continuing out there without me. Some neighborhoods such as Alegria Avenue in Sierra Madre pull out all the stops with haunted house decorations, and droves of children show up to soak up the fun.
But, by and large, it would seem that Dear Abby and her readers finally got their way, and the cherished tradition of trick-or-treat is almost obsolete. No more hooligans hurling cookies and apples on people’s lawns! No more elderly people on fixed incomes having to starve in order to meet the insatiable demands of spoiled youth!
Dear Abby and Her Readers Wage War
But, also, no more youthful rites of going on a great adventure… running wild in the streets, wondering what sort of candy bounty one might score and wondering if some teenage hooligans might come along and snatch one’s plunder in one swift, malicious flash. Halloween now is organized, fair, and supervised. Many may argue that this is progress, but, still, something precious has also been lost.
In honor of the days of yore, here’s a look at some of those wonderful old trick-or-treat candy bags along with Dear Abby from 1984 for your perusing pleasure.
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- Here, some misguided hooligan children approach an unkempt house on a Los Angeles street and prepare to meet their doom….
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- Next, a creepy Jack O’ Lantern prepares to rope the young for the last round-up….
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- How sweet! Children are encouraged to imitate quaint, old timey bandits, as they wend their way to someone’s house….
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- Fun! We revel in the terror the young will experience as they venture out at night for the first time on their own….
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- Last, we are reminded through alliteration how terrible the trick-or-treaters truly are…. do NOT answer the door!
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- A great old package from Topps.
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- The back of the bag is at least as fun as the front.
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- Such a great name… somebody had to do it!
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- Back in the heyday of goofy candy fun.
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- Be scared….
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- A stylish take on Halloween for the adults.
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- Dear Abby and Her Readers Wage War (from the Eugene Register-Guard – Dec 3, 1984)
Whatever you do for Halloween this year, here’s to a great one filled with happy haunting memories!
