5 Best Trunk or Treat Themes
October 26th, 2017 by Eli P
Do you worry about the safety of your children when they go trick-or-treating? Then try the latest trend for letting youngsters gather bags full of candy in a safe environment – trunk-or-treat.
Trunk-or-treat consists of staged events in parking lots where trick or treaters go from car to car to get candy. Typically staged at schools, churches, or other well-lit parking lots, trunk-or-treat is rapidly catching on in neighborhoods and areas and sparsely populated rural areas. Parents know where their children are at all times, and the costumed kids have just as much fun as going door-to-door.
What makes trunk-or-treat even more fun is that people giving out candy decorate their cars with colorful themes. Some are spooky, some are funny, many are quite artistic, and some are just plain weird.
Here are five of the most popular themes you’re likely to see at a trunk-or-treat:
1. Candyland
This theme lends itself to a wild assortment of layout possibilities. To represent the playing board, most people place colorful pieces of cardboard or construction paper leading up to the car. From there, they let their imaginations run wild. Popular decorations include balloons, large lollipop wheels and peppermint candy canes. Others have life-size gingerbread people standing by the car. Young children love the decorations, and anyone who played Candyland as a kid will enjoy the opportunity to reminisce about their younger days.
2. The Great Pumpkin
What would Halloween be without Linus and Snoopy waiting patiently in the local pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to arrive? An easy theme to assemble, the Great Pumpkin typically consists of a pumpkin patch in front of the trunk with an assortment of “ghosts” – Peanuts characters waiting to get their treats. You can always pick out Charlie Brown.
3. Jurassic Park
Palm tree cutouts, Jurassic park signs, the iconic entrance to the park, and of course dinosaurs make this a theme that everyone knows. To make it spookier for the young kids, place the gate to the park in front of your car and play a recording of dinosaur noises. Some kids may hesitate before daring to venture beyond the doors to get their candy!
4. Monsters
Monster trunk-or-treats tend to go for cartoonish characters rather than traditional Halloween monsters like Frankenstein or trolls. Sesame Street’s Cooke Monster is a perennial favorite, and you’ll usually spot characters from Disney’s animated Monsters Inc. movies. Many people let their imaginations run wild and create their own monsters.
5. Super Mario Brothers
Super Mario game players love this theme because it offers so many possibilities. People build various scenes or landscapes from the many different video games. Many dress up as Super Mario and other game characters. Playing the zany Super Mario music and sound effects from the back of your car adds the perfect touch.
Halloween Driving Safety Tips
If you plan on being out and about this Halloween, avoid a Halloween auto body fright with these safety tips!
- Use extreme caution when driving through neighborhoods during peak trick-or-treating hours.
- Drive below the posted speed.
- Ghouls and Goblins may cross the street at any time without warning, avoid all driving distractions and be aware of what is happening.
- Scan for children in dark costumes who are harder to see at night.
- Double check your blind spots, especially when pulling into and out of driveways.
If you are trunk-or-treating this year, share your car’s Halloween costume on our Facebook page! Remember to bring plenty of candy!
