I'm not sure what the situation is in your town with Halloween merchandise, but most of my local drug stores are already set up with their own unique collections of spooky goods. I drove out of my way to a Target yesterday because their store phone operator claimed all their Halloween stuff was out (it wasn't). Fortunately, there was a Walgreens nearby that had plenty o' goodies for me to check out. As you can see above, I found something a bit... odd.
In the 1985 Halloween Safety film I recently reviewed, we see the girl rummaging through her candy, and she receives some "Dogs and Pups puffy stickers" in the mix. I couldn't help but wonder who the hell would hand out something like that. Turns out, it's not just something that happens in the movies (or educational films), these Halloween animal stickers are for real. What really amazes me is that the box promotes them as a "Great Trick-or-Treat Alternative!"... yep, they expect people to give these away instead of candy.
So my question to you is simple: How would you react if you went out trick-or-treating and somebody tossed these into your bag o' candies? Taking it even further, what if stickers replaced candies on Halloween entirely? Now before you rush to a decision, it's only fair that I show you exactly what these stickers look like, so here ya go:
So what's it gonna be? Bat Cats and Devil Dogs or Wonka Bars and Gobstoppers? Let's hear what you chose and why! The fate of the world depends on your answers. The FATE of the WORLD.
Dungeonbrownies on 09/14/2009 4:58 pm
i have to admit, i too saaw these, but down at the walmart and they looked terrible. but if you manage to get the cat in the pirate hat, id say its all worth it.
DougClayton4231 on 09/14/2009 5:10 pm
The cat with the huge eyes makes me lawl
BrownEyedBob (Guest) on 09/14/2009 5:16 pm
While Draccat is fearsome, my bellyache after the 500th Gobstopper has it beat, sorry kitty. Must...give myself...diabetes on Halloween.......
ColdFusion (Guest) on 09/14/2009 5:47 pm
Crikey, why not both? I mean THESE stickers are lame, but historically there have been some truly excellent stickers.. they cost dick to make, fit nicely inside a box of candy... and a lot of candies have classic mascots (Nerds, anyone?) to put on some stickers and.. y'know.. well, if you're retarded, decorate your candy box with! Otherwise you put them all over that cigar box where you keep your secret prized posessions...
But yeah I am really sick of this anti-candy BS. Do these people not realize ALL food energy is converted to pure corn syrup in order to fuel our muscles?
MissEvie on 09/14/2009 5:59 pm
This would suck to get in your Trick -or- Treat Bag.
robo_rob on 09/14/2009 6:03 pm
It's all about candy in small sized portions by the truckload. HOWEVER, these stickers would be great to have around the house. Because puppies and kittens are awesome.
Fast_Eddy (Guest) on 09/14/2009 6:14 pm
As soon as i left the house i would have fished them out of the bag and started putting them on things i saw.
-RoG- on 09/14/2009 6:58 pm
DougClayton4231, yeah it'd be even better if they were googly eyes on the kitten. The sheets should be nothing but googly-eyed kitten stickers. I'd kill for a googly-eyed Bat Cat sticker. If they did anything like that, these Halloween animal sticker sets would have my total support.
nirvana_infinity on 09/14/2009 7:04 pm
Man, those pirate dogs look pissed. My pearl of wisdom: edible candy stickers. I think Fruit Roll-Ups kind of do that in a very half-assed fashion, but I think someone could use those printed confectionery sheets that they put on custom cakes and things and pair it up with easter bunny candy eyeballs for a bad-ass candy sticker masterpiece.
Shironu-Akaineko on 09/14/2009 7:23 pm
Candy of course.
I already got a black dog named Poltergeist "Phantom" Banville.
If that ain't a cool Halloweeny name...
LadyMage on 09/14/2009 9:13 pm
Both with a toy for my vote, heck kids love goodie bags, as long as you give them something to eat, something to play with, and a sticker
Julio on 09/14/2009 9:58 pm
Hold it right there. Aren't there supposed to be some stickers that have chemicals that make kids who are stupid enough to stick them to their body go high or something?
I choose the mighty Dracula Cat.
KoMoDo (Guest) on 09/14/2009 10:54 pm
I agree with LadyMage on this one, I hook kids up every year since most of them can't find my house. Usually a halloween cup filled with candy, toys, pencils, stickers, all the good shite. I used to be the kid that got crap in there bag(pennies, religious pamphlets, a can of tuna). I agree though also those stickers are pretty lame. I always look for the kinda stickers i'd put on anything.
LemonWitch (Guest) on 09/14/2009 10:56 pm
As a trick-or-treater still to this day (heh. I love having nieces and nephews) I say: both. Variety is fun, and the kidlets would love 'em.
Misty (Guest) on 09/14/2009 11:13 pm
I one got a religious comic on Halloween at one house instead of candy. Ultimate lameness (even more so then those retarded animal stickers). This is Halloween and candy is required not just excepted, dammit!
DarkfireTaimatsu on 09/14/2009 11:30 pm
Okay, the bat cat I might go for, but that's about it.
Doctor_Who on 09/14/2009 11:37 pm
Since I'm not a four year old girl, I have to say I'd be pretty ticked off to get cute animal stickers.
The only candy-alternatives I've ever found acceptable were superballs and trading cards. And they had to be good trading cards.
PoGo on 09/15/2009 12:42 am
If I ended up with those stickers, there would be a shin kicking. Though, the cat in the pirate hat is quite amusing but the biker poodle weirds me out. It looks like some weird poodle s+m porn. That ain't right.
D3vinSawhog (Guest) on 09/15/2009 3:01 am
Hell no! First it is stickers, but then come HEALTHY things like Broccoli or Apples without caramel on them! Halloween is meant for cavity inducing candy, If you get rid of the candy, you might as well get rid of the costumes since Halloween isn't Halloween without them either.
Kids, accept no substitutes.
Dr. V on 09/15/2009 5:56 am
The cat ones are pretty damn cute.
LadyMage on 09/15/2009 2:46 pm
@KoMoDo: exactly, and not that fun sized stuff, FULL SIZE at my house, we take the candy seriously
@everyone worried that people will start giving healthy snacks: anyone who gives healthy stuff is begging to get egged anyway, although plain apples have been given for years, but they get thrown out anyway
caffman on 09/15/2009 3:19 pm
hey at least you all still can trick and treat at Halloween. Try it in the UK. People look at you strange and slam the door in your face. Even if you bring kids with you!
AlanBates (Guest) on 09/15/2009 10:08 pm
I never minded getting a few oddball non-candy things when I went out. Gave you something to talk about with the people you went trick or treating with later, but to replace candy entirly is just far too much.
greenimp on 09/16/2009 12:27 am
i dunno, i'd feel fretty gypped if i got a bunch of stickers instead of sugary goodness
Tross (Guest) on 09/16/2009 3:30 am
The true crime here is that you can't do anything with the stickers cause halloween is over that night! Christmas stickers are a better choice, but still much lower than candy.
stevetothepast on 09/16/2009 8:47 am
I'd say this would be more of a TRICK than a TREAT.
Stranger (Guest) on 09/16/2009 10:03 am
I'd trick the bastards something fierce. And not just the regular egging or toilet paper, for an offense of this size, we're talking murdering their cat and nailing it to the door, or throwing a molotow coctail through the window
dymphnawolf on 09/16/2009 2:07 pm
I'm firmly of the belief that candy is compulsory on Halloween. Anything else that is given out should be in addition too NOT in replacement of candy
nirvana_infinity on 09/16/2009 5:10 pm
There was an old lady down the street from me who used to hand out exactly five pennies meticulously wrapped in foil. It looked like candy until you opened it and found five pennies. In the olden days, that would have been awesome. But in the 80's, there wasn't much you could do with them.
sebastiankirchoff93 on 09/16/2009 5:26 pm
Those are pretty lame. I have gotten all sorts of weird stuff (pennies, etc) before, but stickers are pretty rare. I find stickers with cute animals dressed up in costumes as being mean, since most animals probably dread dressing up in a costume. Now, if they were LOLCatz stickers, thats a different story....
Turrel (Guest) on 09/17/2009 12:47 pm
I wouldn't complain about either. I enjoy the occasional eating of candy, but I also enjoy putting stickers all over things and have a girlfriend who would only encourage that.
So, it'd be a victory either way.
Not to mention that despite being adults, my girlfriend always manages to look just young enough to touch the "okay to trick-or-treat" range without being creepy.
Misty (Guest) on 09/17/2009 2:44 pm
"and not that fun sized stuff, FULL SIZE at my house, we take the candy seriously"
YES. I absolutly hate that "fun size" bullshit. A candy bar 1/3 the size of the normal ones is not "fun sized". However, if the candy bar was 3 times the size of the normal ones, then that'd be fun sized.
dextire on 09/17/2009 8:58 pm
Trick-or-Treating was dead around here when I first moved in. So I always give out bags of Halloween candy, stickers, pens and glow sticks in the hope of keeping it going.
I also give out a "grand prize" to the kid with the best costume. This year the prize will be a jar of Nickelodeon Slime!
Dave (Guest) on 09/19/2009 4:40 am
"I find stickers with cute animals dressed up in costumes as being mean, since most animals probably dread dressing up in a costume."
Worrying about how stupid animals feel about being dressed in costumes? Someone is waaaaaaay too sensitive.
LadyMage on 09/21/2009 1:34 pm
@dextire: WHOA you are the trick or treat giver king *bows* its people like you that put some of my faith in humanity back
dextire on 09/23/2009 11:25 am
LadyMage: "Trick or treat giver king" huh? *Bows to accept crown as Target's candy section takes the last few bucks from back pocket*. :)
Every time I gave out more stuff, more kids would show up the next year. So it just kept growing to the point it is today.
Thankfully aside from the candy, the thing the kids seem to like the most is the glow sticks. And now you can a 20 pack of the smaller ones for like 5 bucks. So it isn't that expensive to help bring Halloween back on my block.
A Bad Enough Dude on 09/23/2009 4:48 pm
Those cat stickers are (mostly) pretty fucking sweet.
kimicheese (Guest) on 09/28/2009 6:54 pm
i insist we continue the tradition of halloween and trick or treat. we've already cut out most fun things from school: music, art, drama.. then we reduce what they're allowed to have in their lunch: no chips, no "fat", no "trans-fat", no nuts (so no allergy stricken kids will be taunted or tempted by someone else's lunch goodies), no Lunchables for God's sake. then we're hearing our beloved President (and i do love him--often) is looking at extending our school year and/or day. if we DON'T give these little devils their candy, they WILL slit our throats in our sleep. don't you understand that sugar keeps the evil down? just like the reason you give your cat tuna now and then is so you don't awaken to find him and his little outdoor pals gnawing your limbs off in the dark, you give your kids sugar every now and then so they can reflect on the nearness of the holiday while secretly plotting your demise in their sweet, delicious, black little hearts.
vitoria (Guest) on 09/30/2009 2:36 pm
adorei da para imprimir dai eu vou imprimir.
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