What Was Halloween Like the Year You Were Born?

The holiday we know and love as Halloween got its roots from the Celtic festival of Samhain, during which folks would light bonfires as a way to ward off spirits before All Saint's Day on November 1. Both Samhain and All Saint's Day eventually began merging with All Souls' Day, a day designed by the Catholic church in 1000 AD to honor the dead each November 2, when people dressed up as devils, angels, and saints. However, these Halloween traditions didn't make their way to America until the second half of the 19th century, and the spooky affair went on to become synonymous with parties, parade, treats, and costumes.

You're probably accustomed to buying your own Halloween costume every year, but up until the late 1940s, most holiday celebrators handmade their own creations. Today, market prices for vintage costumes in mint condition run the gamut from $75 to $1,500 for cartoon characters, television stars, or political subjects.

Some of the most sought-after Halloween collectibles? Vintage invitations and place cards. Most were tossed after use, making them incredibly rare. Because of this, a complete set of World War I–era die-cut invites by a paper purveyor like Dennison of Massachusetts can cost $200 to $300 if never addressed.

In 1919, Ruth Edna Kelley wrote The Book of Halloween, which still remains one of the greatest historic accounts of the holiday. Formatted with poems, games, and folklore, it's a must-read for anyone wanting to get the full Halloween backstory up to the modern era.

Halloween decoration–lovers, you can trace this popular American custom back to 1920 when Pennsylvania-based company Beistle Company introduced a hair-raising line of party goods that helped popularize the tradition.

Halloween parties gained major traction in the 1920s, reaching peak popularity in the '30s. Planning for these elaborate fêtes would sometimes kick off as early as the summer before, usually in August.

"From 1909 through the '30s, the Dennison Manufacturing Company published Halloween-themed craft and party idea books called Bogie Books," says Halloween antique expert Bruce Elsass. One such popular Halloween prop inspired by the books was a pumpkin parade stick, which was originally lit by a candle and carried by children while trick-or-treating.

By the 1920s, Halloween had become synonymous with mischief, which young people used as an excuse to break windows or damage property. In 1923, the police chief commissioner in Omaha, Nebraska, went so far as to designate the city's "worst boys" as junior police officers on October 31 and relied on them to report criminal behavior in an attempt to curb vandalism.

Communities continued to go to great lengths in order to prevent petty crimes on Halloween night. In 1924, for example, an announcement in the Chicago Tribune from Oct. 29 advertised a party at the Chicago Boys' Club so that youngsters could "enjoy themselves without destroying property or playing pranks on their neighbors."

Halloween party guests in the 1920s enjoyed games like a pumpkin ring toss as a form of good old-fashioned entertainment. Apple bobbing was also a popular pastime—one lost tradition on October 31 even involved women secretly marking the apples before throwing them in the tub for men to "bob" for; future matches were foretold depending on the apple each lad chose.

By the late 1920s, homemade costumes—particularly clowns—were still a popular choice. Pictured here is a homemade clown costume with sheer netting ruffle and original fabric.

The first known printed reference to "trick-or-treat" appeared in the Alberta Canada Herald on Nov. 4, 1927, according to Smithsonian.

From 1928 to 1931, the Pennsylvania-based company Beistle crafted cardboard fortune-telling games as Halloween party entertainment. With questions including "Will I soon be engaged?" and "Does my employer like me?" early Beistle games like a 1930s Mystery Answer Board Game—valued at $300—were marketed to adults. Another 1930s favorite, the Flaming Fortune Game, which also served as a table centerpiece, is a fairly common find but remains very popular with collectors.

Prone to damage—it's very rare to find an example with an intact arch—this 1929 honeycomb witch and cauldron from Beistle originally came in three different sizes. This—the middle-sized version—stirs up an impressive value of $350.

Commonly placed on front doors or in coat closets, this wiggly, 55-inch-long fellow was introduced by Beistle in the 1930s and, depending on condition, can wrangle up to $75. When complete with original envelope packaging (not pictured), the price increases by more than a few bones to $150. Made of tissue paper and card stock, the 1930s mini lanterns sitting on the side table are valued at $45 each.

Beistle Company also created an array of hats and masks for revelers. With little wear and intact paper fringe, these 1930s orange crepe-paper hats—part of a set of six—garner around $15 each.

This rare 8mm film, converted to HD in 2013, depicts students of Hamlin Park School in Buffalo, New York, dressed in costume for Halloween 1932. In it, we see girls in Dutch and Colonial-era dress; boys suited up like sailors, pirates, and cowboys; and both genders masquerading as clowns.

The '30s are considered to be the Golden Age of monster movies, with Dracula and Frankenstein appearing in cinemas in 1931, and King Kong and The Invisible Man in 1933. The horror classic The Bride of Frankenstein debuted in 1935.

Mickey Mouse, who made his official debut in the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie, became a popular character costume in the 1930s. This image appeared in the Halloween 1934 edition of the once-popular family newspaper Grit.

The Dionne quintuplets— the first set to survive more than a week—were born in May 1934 in Ontario, Canada, and instantly became a worldwide sensation. Fearing their impoverished parents wouldn't be able to protect them from exploitation, the government placed the baby girls in a special hospital; their mother, Oliva, fought for nine years to regain custody. Here, actress Lucille Ball (front and center) and a group of friends dressed as the quintuplets for a 1935 Halloween party.

Louis Armstrong led a Halloween-themed band in the 1936 film Pennies from Heaven.

As trick-or-treating became popular in the 1930s, companies like A.S. Fishbach and Ben Cooper began mass-producing Halloween costumes. Whereas previous decades saw children dressing as supernatural creatures like witches, ghosts, and goblins, costumes based on professions and characters in mass media became the norm. Here, a boy dressed as a police officer directs "traffic" while his dog plays the role of a driver.

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles's radio broadcast of the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds caused mass panic among listeners who believed Earth really had been invaded by Martians.

Bobbing for apples and eating contests were popular pastimes of children's Halloween parties in the late '30s.

According to TIME, the American tradition of trick-or-treating as we know it today may have started with kids trading songs for treats in the early 20th century, but it really gained popularity in the '30s and '40s, when children were offered everything from homemade treats to coins, toys, and fruit. It wasn't until the 1950s that candy companies began specifically promoting their products for Halloween. (Pictured here is a collection of vintage candy boxes.)

In the 1940s and '50s, classic costumes like witches, ghosts, mummies, pirates, and pumpkins were still popular. This witch costume, with a muslin mask and finished cotton garment and cape, is from the early 1940s.

This jazzy quartet features light embossing—a sure sign of their age—these cool cats bring in about $100 each. Reproductions of this 1940s design, which the company continues to make today, can be identified by their double-sided printing and a lack of embossing.

After the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, Halloween parties offered a much-needed distraction from so-called "war strain." Community celebrations such as this one announced in the Chicago Tribune offered war bonds and stamps as prizes. Pictured here, a U.S. soldier and his girlfriend dance at a Halloween party in London.

In the '40s, novelty stores like the one pictured here sold a variety of paper decorations in different shapes: skeletons, jack-o'-lanterns, black cats, owls, and more.

As fashion began to evolve and leg-baring became apropo, so did Halloween costumes. Here, three actresses dressed as "girls on the farm" bob for apples.

Clowns and cowboy costumes were all the rage when it came to Halloween in the late '40s.

Beistle's "Dancers," so called for their bouncy, accordion-like arms, legs, and torsos, were among the company's most popular decorations. This cat dancer, produced from circa 1947 to 1964, garners around $20.

Comedy duo Abbott and Costello kicked off their famed movie series with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The pair would follow up the success of this film by "meeting" the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Mummy, to name a few.

Despite the vandalism that went hand in hand with Halloween night during the 1920s and '30s, by the 1950s, Halloween had transformed into a family-friendly holiday geared toward children. Thanks to the post-war baby boom, Halloween parties were moving away from town centers and into private homes and schools.

After World War II, an optimistic and increasingly suburban America embraced the at-home cocktail hour, leading to a glut of novelty barware that included toxin-themed glasses like these. Two companies, Georges Briard and Ceraglass, began making "Name Your Poison" sets in the 1950s, issuing them in different shapes with varying graphics. Ceraglass likely manufactured this particular version in the late '60s.

Beginning in the 1940s, manufacturers such as such as Ben Cooper Inc. began making costumes and selling them through Sears, JC Penney, Woolworths, and local five-and-tens for as little as $1.25. This skeleton outfit and hooded muslin mask is from the early 1950s.

This devil costume, complete with a folded cloth gauze mask, is from around 1952.

Midcentury paper trick-or-treat bags sold for pennies at the local five-and-dime, as folks would later fill them with Bazooka Joe, Tootsie Pops, and Baby Ruths. "These days, expect to pay about $30 for a 1950s sack with a simple image, such as a jack-o'-lantern," says Bruce Elsass, one of the nation's preeminent collectors of Halloween accessories.

Nat King Cole was regular guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, appearing 13 times during the show's run. One of his most memorable appearances, though, was on the show's Halloween episode in 1954.

It was 1955 that brought "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," an episode from the popular TV show Disneyland, into homes across America.

February 1956 saw the release of the horror film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, a film that would later go on to be dubbed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.

Since Sputnik launched October 4, 1957, it's no surprise that party-goers got creative by donning Sputnik-inspired costumes just weeks later. Here, a "Sputnik" and a soviet officer attend a Halloween party in California.

If you picked up a copy of the Sears catalogue in the fall of 1958, you'd see that kids could choose from an array of costumes including a a gypsy, a Colonial girl, a robot, a bride, and a fairy princess, as well as characters from TV shows, like Lassie, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, and Zorro. Pictured here, actress Jayne Mansfield and her husband, Mickey Hargitay, celebrate daughter Jayne Marie's birthday with a Halloween fête in 1958.

Just in time for Halloween, The Twilight Zone premiered on October 2 on CBS to wide acclaim. We have a feeling Halloween might have felt just a little bit spookier that year...

This rather graphic monster costume, with eyeballs printed on its fabric for added creepiness, is from the 1960s. The costume includes a more modern hard plastic mask.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel, give out Halloween candy to kids during a "Trick of Treat for UNICEF" event.

Halloween's equivalent of "Jingle Bells," the catchy song "Monster Mash," by Bobby Pickett and the Crypt-Keepers, was released two weeks before Halloween in 1962 and quickly jumped to #1 on the Billboard chart.

This heartbreaking photo was taken just weeks before JFK's assassination as he previewed children Caroline (left) and John Junior's Halloween costumes in 1963.

The Addams Family hit the air on September 18, 1964, and the show's seventh episode, "Halloween with the Addams Family," became an instant classic in its own right. It was so revered, in fact, that NBC turned it into a television movie in 1977, 11 years after the show went off the air.

Typically molded into the shape of animals or ghouls, masks dating from the 1950s and '60s—like this mid-1960s glow-in-the-dark skull—often sell for $25 to $30. (An original box can add $25 to the price.)

Believe it or not, pumpkins have names and none is more iconic than the Howden pumpkin, Developed in the '60s, the variety is known for its large size, handle-like stem, and bright orange color, according to NPR.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that a show named Bewitched would have the best Halloween episodes. The Halloween episode in the fourth season of the beloved show saw Samantha and Tabitha trick-or-treating—with the help of three ghouls.

A year after divorcing husband Bobby Darin, Sandra Dee (who was 26 at the time) bounced back with a Halloween-themed photo shoot at Universal Studios.

Disney's first Haunted Mansion opened at Disneyland on August 9, 1969. In 2001, Disneyland launched the Haunted Mansion Holiday; from late September to early January, characters and holiday adornments inspired by Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas are added to the attraction.

In the 1950s, Beistle's largely black and orange spooky designs began to feature more playful, kid-friendly imagery and a wider variety of colors. This friendly faced 1970s ghost was a departure from black cats, skeletons, and jack-o'-lanterns the company was known for.

The '70s were an eventful decade for Halloween candy. In the first half, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became so popular that Hershey Food Corporation had to double production in order to meet global demand. Meanwhile, Laffy Taffy was introduced in 1971, and Bubble Yum was introduced in 1975.

The costumes of the '70s were simple, affordable, and stress-free. They typically consisted of a full-face mask and a plastic smock—like the ones seen here—and the whole thing came ready to wear, in a box. Popular picks during this decade included Wonder Woman, Raggedy Ann, and Barbie.

On December 26, 1973, The Exorcist hit theaters, horrifying audiences everywhere. The movie—which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films ever—was so disturbing that theaters distributed "Exorcist barf bags." Still to this day, the film is often regarded as one of the scariest movies ever made.

Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released on October 1, 1974, quickly becoming everyone's worst nightmare. The intensely brutal film spawned a film franchise, and Leatherface, the film's villain, is still a common costume today. Also in 1974, puppeteer Ralph Lee started the famous Village Halloween Parade in New York City.

In the '70s, Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) clubs became known for encouraging members to stage haunted houses in abandoned buildings as a way to raise money. In 1975, Jaycees Jim Gould and Tom Hilligoss of the Bloomington, Illinois, chapter, wrote a book about how to create a haunted house, making them the world's first haunted house staging experts.

Televised variety specials were popular during the 1970s, so it's no wonder that the decade saw its fair share of Halloween variety shows. Airing on ABC, The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was nothing short of bizarre, at least by today's standards. How strange was it? Let's just say special guests included Betty White, Florence Henderson, and heavy metal rock band KISS.

In 1977, no costumes were more coveted than those inspired by Star Wars. Ben Cooper Inc. was one of the first licensees of the guises, and they quickly sold out, leading to what some called the "Great Star Wars Halloween Costume Shortage" of 1977. This led many Star Wars fanatics to resort to homemade get-ups.

The knife-wielding Michael Myers made his film debut on October 25, 1978 in Halloween. The movie went on to become a lengthy film franchise. As you'd expect, Mike Myers's navy blue jumpsuit and white mask can still be found in costume stores today.

The second half of the decade marked the beginning for some of today's most popular Halloween sweets. Jelly Belly beans were introduced in 1976, and the Ring Pop was invented in 1979. That same year, the Twix candy bar, already popular around the world, was introduced to candy lovers in the U.S.

The Shining, one of Jack Nicholson's most well-known films, was released this year. The film is still considered one of the scariest of all time, and the Grady twins went on to inspire Halloween costumes for years to come.

In the early '80s, masks remained a popular Halloween choice, especially masks of Ronald Reagan, who became president in 1981.

This year saw the release of two terrifying movies that became horror classics: The Poltergeist and The Thing.

It wasn't released in time for Halloween, but on December 2, 1983, Michael Jackson dropped his legendary, 13-minute film for Thriller. From Michael's iconic red leather outfit to the popular zombie-dance, the groundbreaking music video made a permanent mark on entertainment (and Halloween) history.

Wes Craven's The Nightmare on Elm Street was released on November 9, 1984. The horror film introduced the masses to one of Halloween's most popular villains, Freddie Krueger.

Offering some insight into what Halloween was like during the '80s, this vintage Halloween safety video taught kids all about the dos and don'ts of October 31. Narrated by an animated pumpkin, the video covered everything from carving pumpkins to avoiding creepy strangers.

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Children line up outside Park Will Elementary in Denver, waiting for their Halloween parade to start. While many schools staged Halloween parades at school during the '80s and '90s, the tradition has come under fire in more recent years due to concerns about students being left out due to religious or cultural beliefs.

The desire to turn anything and everything into a pumpkin isn't anything new. The Union Oil Company began painting their Torrance, California, petroleum storage tank to look like a pumpkin in the 1950s. Shown here nearly two decades later, it has remained a fixture in the area.

The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF tradition dates back to the '50s. Here, children dance at one of the nonprofit's annual Halloween fundraising drives in 1988, where over $2 million was raised to help children in developing countries—a big leap from the program's inaugural year, which collected $17.

Celebrating Halloween at the White House is a tradition that dates back to 1958 when Mamie Eisenhower put up decorations for the first time. In 1989, the Bushes hosted a Halloween party for 600 schoolchildren.

Therapy dog programs become widespread in hospitals such as the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, which launched their Pet Assisted Therapy program this year. While specially trained dogs visit patients each year, Halloween is extra-special, because the pups dress in costume.

A Halloween blizzard covered the Midwest with snow from October 31st to November 3rd in 1991. Of course, not even harsh weather could keep trick-or-treaters inside!

If you have one of these pumpkin pails from McDonald's sitting around your home, it probably dates back to the early '90s. The MicWitch and McGhost were first introduced in 1990, but went through a few updates in the following years.

Ever since this now-classic Tim Burton movie premiered in 1993, there's been debate about whether it was intended to be a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. But in 2015, Henry Selick, the movie's director, spoke up to settle the debate. "It's a movie about Halloween, and the people of Halloween, and how they react to something like Christmas," he explained.

At first, the internet was used to send files from one computer to another. But in 1991, communication as we know it changed forever: The World Wide Web was introduced as a platform for ideas to be exchanged. Soon after, e-commerce picked up, giving us an easier way to shop for Halloween costumes and party decorations.

The '90s saw a return to homemade costumes as people cobbled together ways to dress as their favorite actors and singers. Group costumes also saw a surge in popularity during the mid-'90s (hello, Spice Girls!).

The movie Scream, which premiered on December 20, 1996, would go on to inspire one of the most popular costumes of the decade.

Katie Couric, Al Roker, Ann Curry, and Matt Lauer show off their Halloween costumes on set of the TODAY show.

Disney released Halloweentown in 1998, and the movie quickly captured hearts across the country, becoming a holiday classic to watch with the whole family year after year. Fun fact: St. Helens, Oregon, the city where much of the original movie was filmed, has its own Halloweentown celebration each year.

If you went to a Halloween party in 1999, you definitely spotted at least one person dressed in Britney's signature school girl costume, complete with knee-high socks.

Crowds gathered at the Halloween Bash 2000 Car Show in Pasadena to see The Munster Koach, which was featured in the popular TV show, The Munsters.

Time to break out your Gryffindor gear, black cape, and wand. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first movie in the wildly popular series, was released in 2001, becoming a source of Halloween costume inspiration for years to come.

The Ring, one of the most popular and iconic horror movies ever, was released this year.

Known as the "Halloween Storms of 2003," there were epic solar storms recorded all over the world on the nights leading up to and on Halloween in 2003, according to NASA. The holiday was marked by power outages all over the U.S. and red or green skies seen in several cities in Texas and Florida.

While risqué costumes are nothing new, the movie Mean Girls ridiculed their popularity when the main character Cady realizes she is the only girl at her high school Halloween party not wearing lingerie.

Lightsabers are the go-to Halloween accessory this year. The popularity of Star Wars costumes reach a new peak this year thanks to the release of the Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith.

Trunk-or-treating, aka the practice of Halloween tailgating, gains popularity. "Organizers of this and several other trunk-or-treats do not know for sure how the idea came about, or where and when the first event of its kind took place," the New York Times wrote in 2006. "But the fad has exploded this year, with scores of communities posting open invitations on the Internet or in local newspapers."

The ninth movie in the iconic Halloween franchise is released, produced by Rob Zombie. It's a disappointment, according to critics, but fans of the original 1978 film still pack theaters to see it.

With the 2008 presidential election taking place just eight days after Halloween, politics were on everywhere's minds. Obama, McCain, and Palin masks and costumes were particularly popular this year.

Vampires make a comeback in pop culture thanks to hit TV shows and movies like True Blood and Twilight. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which was released in November 2009, became the highest grossing "horror movie" of all time, according to the Guinness World Records.

Pinterest launches and becomes a mecca for Halloween inspiration. With a seemingly infinite number of Halloween-related pins, over 100 million people flock to the social media platform for Halloween couple costumes, pet costumes, family costumes, party recipes, and more.

American Horror Story launches on FX, satisfying America's growing fixation with horror entertainment.

It's official: Americans love Halloween costumes so much that they want their pets to be in on the fun too. Pet costumes reach a whopping $350 million in annual sales, which is a 60 percent increase from 2010 when pet owners spent $220 million, according to Vox.com.

Chocolate candy—in any variety—is America's favorite Halloween candy. Almost 75 percent of all the candy consumed this year is some form of chocolate. Reese's and M&M's are two of the most popular Halloween candies, according to USA Today.

In order to make Halloween safer for kids with food allergies, the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) group launched the Teal Pumpkin Project, which encourages families to notify trick-or-treaters that they have non-food treats at their home by displaying teal pumpkin on their porch.

Ellen DeGeneres cracked us up with a now-viral video that features her producer Andy Lassner and Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet touring a haunted house, a hysterical yearly tradition she started on her show back in 2012. The popular video now has over 8.6 million views.

Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Harley Quinn-inspired costumes are all ranking as popular costume ideas this year.

More than two decades after the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus premiered, people can finally channel the Sanderson sisters for Halloween, thanks to an exclusive collection of Hocus Pocus costumes and decor from Spirit Halloween. However, fans are less enthused to learn that Hocus Pocus is officially getting a reboot—but likely without the original cast.

Legendary scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the big screen as Laurie Strode to face off against Michael Myers once again. The new Halloween movie is a direct sequel to the original 1978 film, ignoring every other chapter in the franchise that has been released since.

As noted by Etsy resident trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson, 2019 Halloween partygoers are hopping on the "pretty scary" bandwagon, leaning toward more aesthetically pleasing costumes and decorations.

In a year that was anything but normal thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Halloween celebrations looked pretty different from normal. That included trick-or-treating, where a mask was the new can't-miss accessory. Even so, the stalwart figure of Halloweens past—the witch—was still the most searched-for Halloween costume according to Google.