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Halloween gained popularity in the United States in the 1840s by way of a massive Irish immigration to escape the Irish Potato Famine. The pagan roots of the celebration may be what led to it being popular with farm communities and people looking to connect with the land as the seasons turned. of this time.

In past generations, Halloween was closely associated with mischief (namely, pranks). Throwing cabbages and stealing garden gates were among the . Nowadays, well-known pranks like egging houses or hanging toilet paper from tree branches can .

As Halloween gained popularity stateside, unique methods of celebration began cropping up. By the 1930s, , and by the 1950s, Halloween parties were mostly held at homes instead of in downtown centers: a byproduct of the baby boom at the time and the holiday being increasingly focused on children.

If you were trick-or-treating in the 1940s or before, you would likely receive a popcorn ball, nuts, fruit, or money. Manufactured (and pre-wrapped) candy didn't . Why? Parents were worried about the potential tampering of handmade treats.

Halloween's origins run deep in superstition, with fortune-telling giving rise to traditions like . Oftentimes, predicting the future included rituals to . Today, you're more likely to find your fortune in a loaf of barmbrack (traditional Irish Halloween bread) than in a game at a Halloween party.

Irish immigrants who introduced Halloween to America chose to carve pumpkins instead of their traditional turnips, echoing the , a cursed man who navigated his way with a light in a turnip. It wasn't until the early 1970s that America would see the , a pumpkin bred especially for Halloween carving. Its sturdy stem and uniform shape make it perfect for carving.

Halloween was originally a religious holiday for Druids and is still celebrated as such by Wiccans. The surrounding days were also centered on honoring the dead. But pushes in America to take away "evil" elements of Halloween made the holiday more about candy than evil spirits.

1962 was the year of "Monster Mash," Bobby "Boris" Pickett's novelty song about a spontaneous party in a mad scientist's lab, which that October. The resurgence in Halloween parties vaulted the popularity of songs like "Haunted House" and the oft-covered "I Put a Spell on You."

The days of paper and crepe costumes and homemade treats are largely behind us. The National Retail Federation's annual survey projects that Americans will spend a in 2026.

Until the 1920s, most Halloween costumes were handmade by the costume wearer or their family. That changed with the advent of manufactured costumes from companies like Ben Cooper, Collegeville Flag and Manufacturing Company, and H. Halpern Company. through the production of officially licensed costumes of popular characters.

The signature offerings for Halloween before candy were homemade soul cakes. They were tied closely to the Catholic roots of Halloween, and were symbolically given in exchange for prayers. These days, soul cakes are few and far between, although they're still like Cheshire.

In 1982, a rash of poisoning deaths in the Chicago area was tied to Tylenol capsules that had been tampered with after manufacturing. The case was never solved, which inspired a wave of fear around trick-or-treating to the point where that year. Parents have since worried about razor blades, cyanide, and cannabis in Halloween candy, though .

Through the 1950s and 1960s, plastic masks with elastic bands were the norm for Halloween. They were cheap to produce and could resemble any character a child wanted to be. The game changed when full-head latex masks, first sold commercially by Hollywood's , came on the market.

First appearing in the 1990s, emerged as a safer alternative to trick-or-treating. Children gather candy from the open trunks of cars parked together in a designated parking lot. The practice can inspire creative car decorations and has been nicknamed "Halloween tailgating."

The debuted in 1915, but their Halloween heyday arrived during the Great Depression. People built primitive haunted houses that wound through basements and spooked local children. They were a great attraction for neighborhood kids (and a great alternative to destructive pranks).

The hyperrealistic fake blood we think of from movies like "The Shining" came about in the 1960s, invented by . Nicknamed Kensington Gore, it launched new formulations of fake blood that would satisfy audiences of horror movies in color. Today, most fake blood (including the kind you might buy from the Halloween store) is made with corn syrup.

Because of sugar rationing in America, Halloween candy . Communities celebrated the holiday however they could. After the war, reintroduced the idea of trick-or-treating to American children.

The 2010s saw an uptick in schools banning students from wearing certain costumes to school, often on the basis of sensitivity or the separation of church and state. The 2016 creepy clown sightings led schools across America to for Halloween.

When "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" debuted in 1966, the broadcasters probably had no idea they were starting a trend. The tradition has continued with annual television airings of Halloween movies like "Hocus Pocus" and "Halloweentown." "The Simpsons" made a name for itself with its annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween episodes.

Dressing up as a salacious version of a cat, a ketchup bottle, or even Mister Rogers feels like a very modern shift. The tradition actually began in the 1970s with the . Greenwich Village's annual Halloween Parade was the birthplace of the tradition, which then went on to be absorbed by the general Halloween culture.

Knott's Berry Farm in 1973 decorated the theme park for temporary Halloween events and experiences. would go on to inspire other seasonal theme park events. Six Flags puts on Fright Fest annually, and Disneyland decorates the Haunted Mansion every year in true nightmare fashion.

People may remember houses in their neighborhoods growing up that didn't celebrate Halloween, opting to shut off outside lights to signal that treats would be found elsewhere. However, those houses have become increasingly rare over time. In 2026, the National Retail Federation projects that .

Why not let Fido and Fluffy join in on Halloween fun? Dressing up pets in costumes , but the practice of doing so for Halloween has only become more popular over time. Americans are expected to spend in 2026, and the National Retail Federation notes that around 23% of us plan to dress up our four-legged friends.

The release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in 1993 introduced a new reason behind the season. No longer was this a holiday celebrating fall and treats (the religious meanings long out of favor). Children growing up in the 1990s now thought of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, initiating Halloween every year from Halloween Town.

The late 2010s saw a wave of schools from school grounds, sometimes opting for "harvest" celebrations instead. The most frequent reasons for the bans were safety, the fear of scaring children, or general inclusivity concerns.

Homemade costumes have seen a recent resurgence in popularity, likely thanks to the growth of Pinterest, Ravelry, and niche communities centered around crafting. Social media and popular parenting blogs may also be a contributing factor.

The conversation around Halloween has shifted in recent years to costumes that don't offend. Schools have instituted and , while claims the holiday has become too political.

Perhaps thanks to a (and films like "Coco" and "The Book of Life"), there's been a rising awareness of the Mexican holiday of D铆a de los Muertos. Taking place on Nov. 1 and 2 every year, this festival honoring deceased loved ones is often celebrated in tandem with Halloween.

The National Retail Federation reported in 2016 that for the , superheroes beat out princesses for the most desired children's Halloween costume. In 2026, Spider-Man tops the federation's , with superheroes in general as the runner-up.

Due to the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Halloween festivities . Some families chose to celebrate the holiday in more creative ways, including Zoom costume contests, remote trick-or-treating, and family scavenger hunts, all of which circulated widely on social media. Though in-person activities have resumed with the end of social distancing restrictions, some quirky customs (like rather than candy) remain popular online.

In 2020, Home Depot released a for $299. It sold out within hours, then kept selling out year after year, spawning a 13-foot Jack Skellington, a wave of knockoffs, and a fandom that nicknamed the giant decoration "Skelly." Some owners now , dressing them for every holiday on the calendar. Front yard displays have only gotten bigger since then: Americans are expected to spend in 2026.

Halloween used to be a one-night affair. Now it's a season. In 2026, nearly half of consumers , up from about a third a decade earlier, according to the National Retail Federation. About a quarter of shoppers have already bought Halloween items by early August, and 42% of celebrants say cooler fall weather is what gets them started.