Practiced on

During the Halloween Season 

Country of Origin 

United States - 1930s

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Evolved from simple homemade decorations, to locally produced goods and finally to mass produced products due to consumer demand and global production forces

- Billion dollar industry and second only to Christmas in terms of sales

Brief Bio

Halloween shopping evolved from early, scary decorations to mass-produced costumes and candy in the mid-20th century, fueled by the post-WWII economic boom and the rise of trick-or-treating. Today, it is a massive commercial holiday with spending on costumes, decorations, and candy reaching billions of dollars annually. Key developments include the mechanization of box-making for the 19th-century Dennison Halloween products and the 1950s introduction of mass-produced, pop-culture-inspired costumes and individually wrapped candies. 

Evolution of Halloween Shopping

19th Century: The E.W. Dennison company began the mechanization of making decorative boxes and other Halloween goods, contributing to a more widespread, though still adult-focused, market.

Early 1900s: Decorations were often frightening and unsettling, a reflection of the holiday's roots in warding off evil spirits.

1920s-1930s: As Halloween parties became more popular, costume companies began mass-producing costumes based on licensed characters. 

The rise of modern Halloween shopping

1950s: This decade saw the holiday become much more commercialized and family-focused.

1960s-1970s: Commercialization continued with store-bought costumes and even the release of the popular song "Monster Mash". Concerns about the safety of unwrapped treats also cemented individually wrapped candy as the primary option. 

Contemporary Trends

Massive Market: Today, Halloween is a multi-billion dollar industry with a significant portion of sales dedicated to costumes, decorations, and candy.

Pop culture influence: The influence of pop culture continues to drive costume trends.

Seasonal products: The commercialization extends beyond costumes and candy to seasonal decor, party supplies, and even food items like pumpkin spice everything. 

Costumes: Mass-produced, affordable costumes from companies like Ben Cooper, often featuring characters from comics and movies, replaced homemade ones for many families.

Candy: The availability of sugar after World War II and the widespread adoption of trick-or-treating led to candy companies creating and mass-producing small, individually wrapped candies.