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Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treaters Become An Instant Hit In This Neighborhood, People Chime In With The Weirdest Halloween Treats They’ve Seen
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Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treaters Become An Instant Hit In This Neighborhood, People Chime In With The Weirdest Halloween Treats They’ve Seen

Interview Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treaters Become An Instant Hit In This Neighborhood, People Chime In With The Weirdest Halloween Treats They've SeenPerson Hands Out Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treating Kids Instead Of Candy And It Becomes A Major HitPerson Becomes Instant Neighborhood Icon After Letting Trick-Or-Treaters Choose Between Candy Or A PotatoResident Becomes Very Popular In Neighborhood After They Started Handing Out Potatoes For HalloweenPerson Decides To Hand Out Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treating Kids, Documents Live How It WentPerson Decides To Give An Option Of Potatoes To Kids On Halloween, Documents The Events In An Entertaining Facebook ThreadPerson Decided To Give Out Potatoes For Halloween, Their Neighborhood Loves ItMilwaukee Resident Decides To Give Away Potatoes On Halloween “Just To See What Happens”, They Instantly Become A Neighborhood CelebrityNeighborhood Pleasantly Surprised After This Resident Hands Out Potatoes For HalloweenKids Flood One House In The Neighborhood After Learning They're Giving Out Potatoes For Trick-Or-Treaters
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For most kids, trick-or-treating is usually about bringing home as much candy as possible. But like any adventure that you embark upon, you never know exactly where the journey will take you. You may start down one path then overhear that a house in the next neighborhood over is passing out full-size candy bars. No matter how heavy your bag of loot is becoming, if something grabs your attention, you will haul your little ghost or zombie body over there as fast as you possibly can. (Maybe zombies can move fast when there’s a promise of candy! Or perhaps something even more exciting…)

One homeowner in Milwaukee decided to do an experiment this Halloween by adding a potato to their Halloween treats “just to see what would happen”. Much to their surprise, the potatoes became an instant hit, so they documented the saga of the evening on Facebook. 

Below, you’ll find the full story that Sarah Ross shared online, as well as an interview with them we were lucky enough to receive and some of the responses amused readers have left. We would love to hear your thoughts on the potato treats in the comments as well. Have you ever given out something unconventional on Halloween? Then if you’d like to read another Bored Panda article about how passing out something other than candy on Halloween does not always go this smoothly, check out this story next.  

Milwaukee resident Sarah Ross decided to place a potato with their Halloween treats this year as an experiment

Image credits: Yaroslav Shuraev (not the actual photo)

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Much to their surprise, the potatoes became an instant hit so Sarah detailed the entire saga on Facebook

Image credits: Polina Tankilevitch (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: Dustin Wengert

It is amazing what kids and teenagers will get excited by. On the average day, if you offered a child their choice between a piece of candy and a potato, I would guess that most of them would pick the piece of candy. But on Halloween? There is candy everywhere, more than they could ever need. So the potato becomes the much more exciting option, out of novelty. Sarah not only provided these trick-or-treaters with a fun alternative to candy, they also gave these kids a great story to tell when they returned home or to share at recess the following day. 

To learn more about the amazing famous potatoes, we reached out to Sarah on Facebook to hear what inspired them to combine potatoes with trick-or-treating in the first place. “I saw a post about giving out potatoes and thought it was funny!” they told Bored Panda. “When I mentioned it to my friends, they had no idea what I was talking about, so I figured I had to do it and report the results. I always try to have non-food items for kids who have food allergies, dietary restrictions, or neurodiversity. I usually have pencils, some puzzle notebooks and games. Pencils are surprisingly popular every year.”

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We then asked Sarah if they ever expected the potatoes to receive such an enthusiastic reaction. “I expected a few kids to like the potatoes. I didn’t expect to go through all my potatoes!” they shared. “I had potato leek soup on the menu in case we had extra. I definitely did not expect to go viral. I thought it was hilarious – it was so fun to see the kids’ reactions!”

Turns out Sarah also lives in a popular area for trick-or-treating, so it was the perfect place for the potato experiment. “We have a walkable neighborhood with a lot of great neighbors,” they told Bored Panda. “Our neighborhood association, Saveland Park, puts a lot of effort into our Halloween festivities, including a house decorating contest and a costume parade. We also make sure folks know what time and day trick or treating occurs. Because of this, we have a lot of traffic, including people who come in from other communities. I think that’s wonderful!”

And when it comes to Sarah’s plans for next Halloween, it seems the potatoes will be making another appearance. “I will definitely continue giving out pencils,” they told us when asked what non-edible treats they intend to have. “And I will plan to have potatoes on hand. It’s hard to say whether this will become a tradition or just a fun novelty. I am definitely starting to think about other things I could include in the basket. I try to make sure whatever I give is safe for kids to have.”

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Something tells me Sarah will be stocking up on Halloween potatoes for many years to come. Once the legend of the potato spreads, I think Sarah’s household could easily pass out 100 spuds. We would love to hear your thoughts on this wholesome situation in the comments. Have you ever passed out or received anything more interesting than candy on Halloween? And then if you want to read another Bored Panda article about giving away something other than candy as a Halloween treat, look no further than right here

Many amused readers then responded with alternatives to candy they’ve seen passed out on Halloween before

Image credits: Elisa Griffith

Image credits: Jennifer Blankenship Moselen

Image credits: Sophie St-Arnaud

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Image credits: Theresa Caspers

Image credits: Cheryl Rosete

Image credits: Sandy Dyer

Image credits: Gayle Dow

Image credits: J.D. Winstanley

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Image credits: Marty Salzberg

Image credits: Charisse Trujillo

Image credits: Shane Lambert

Image credits: Michele Taylor

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Adelaide Ross

Adelaide Ross

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Howdy, I'm Adelaide! I'm originally from Texas, but after graduating from university with an acting degree, I relocated to sunny Los Angeles for a while. I then got a serious bite from the travel bug and found myself moving to Sweden and England before settling in Lithuania about two years ago. I'm passionate about animal welfare, sustainability and eating delicious food. But as you can see, I cover a wide range of topics including drama, internet trends and hilarious memes. I can easily be won over with a Seinfeld reference, vegan pastry or glass of fresh cold brew. And during my free time, I can usually be seen strolling through a park, playing tennis or baking something tasty.

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Adelaide Ross

Adelaide Ross

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Howdy, I'm Adelaide! I'm originally from Texas, but after graduating from university with an acting degree, I relocated to sunny Los Angeles for a while. I then got a serious bite from the travel bug and found myself moving to Sweden and England before settling in Lithuania about two years ago. I'm passionate about animal welfare, sustainability and eating delicious food. But as you can see, I cover a wide range of topics including drama, internet trends and hilarious memes. I can easily be won over with a Seinfeld reference, vegan pastry or glass of fresh cold brew. And during my free time, I can usually be seen strolling through a park, playing tennis or baking something tasty.

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

Read less »

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

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Jack
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son asked for a potato on his Christmas list one year. He seemed a little disappointed after opening all his gifts but did like the presents he got. I brought out the secret gift and he screamed with glee when he opened it and it was, indeed, a potato! He was 14. 🤣

Izzy Curer
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We tried the potato thing this year. A full bowl of candy, and about 30 small potatoes. The potatoes were gone within the hour. Kids are weird.

Ed Gomaz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can hear them now. “ When I was a youngyoung we were given potatoes for Holloween and we loved them. Why yes I was dressed as Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the rings.

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Jack
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son asked for a potato on his Christmas list one year. He seemed a little disappointed after opening all his gifts but did like the presents he got. I brought out the secret gift and he screamed with glee when he opened it and it was, indeed, a potato! He was 14. 🤣

Izzy Curer
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We tried the potato thing this year. A full bowl of candy, and about 30 small potatoes. The potatoes were gone within the hour. Kids are weird.

Ed Gomaz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can hear them now. “ When I was a youngyoung we were given potatoes for Holloween and we loved them. Why yes I was dressed as Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the rings.

Load More Comments
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