Remember those days? Trick but, thanks-but-no-thanks- treats?
Growing up in Bridgeport, Chicago (Sox park area for clarity) I grew up with many Italians, Irish and Chinese.
Therefore, I did in fact receive some interesting treats.
One year I received a box of raisins, the kind that is used to make marinara sauce. Another year, I received pennies. Yes, you know how kids love 13 cents after a day of knocking on doors.
That same year, I also received a popcorn ball, out of the wrapper, an apple, tomato paste (I'm not making that up), a shoe horn from a local cigar shop that was long-rumored to be a front for illegal gambling, hence the mob; those awful brown caramels in the wrapper that were dry and hard, a candy cane (probably from last year's Christmas).
Of course, this is what happens when adults are unprepared for the holiday. I can remember the improvised actions.
The old Italian ladies were always grasping at their canned goods.
The shoe horn--thanks.
I actually ate the candy cane.
So here's a list of the 5 worst Halloween candies.
5. Apple: Sure childhood obesity is a problem nowadays, but not when I was a kid. I spend 364 days eating fairly healthy, I don't need a lesson in health on Halloween.
4. Toothpaste: Same as above.
3. Pennies: Kids are shallow most of the time. Unless you fork over a couple of dollars, currency isn't going to cut it. Spend some money on Snickers, or pretend that you're not home.
2. Jawbreakers: What the hell? Why are these still made?
1. Candy corn: Why would kids want candy that mimics a vegetable?
--Mike Mitchell
Let's continue the search for the worst Halloween candy. What's your list look like?
Oh my God, we just had this discussion the other day. Thanks for the blog post, Mike.
It's got to be black licorice.
That stuff is not meant for human consumption. probably, the funniest things, I've read was the shoe horn.
Gotta to love Chicago.
Black licorice makes me nauseus.
Tomato Paste, yep, that's a first.
I think the worst is rock candy. Ugh.
I always enjoy these kind of discussions...even though do little to add to our lives other than make us laugh, which is still good.
Boy, I don't if I can top tomato paste and a shoe horn, but my kids certainly received some questionable items.
Some of the taffy apple was sticky and gross.
The pennies were also in the bag. My kids did receive a tennis ball once, which was strange. The rice crispy treats in plastic are great, but they're only good when not completely seperated or smashed.
Oh my God, the Blob was so bad I had to watch it.
The other was the one, Jack Frost. A snowman that kills people. I'm telling you, I've never seen anything that dumb. It was hysterical.
Worst ever....it's got to be pez. I hate pez. So should everyone else. Those things are fire on your teeth.
I spent my trick or treating years in Naperville. We had a sweet elderly lady that lived next door to us but, every year, she consistently gave out nickles and a box of rasins. And, those carmel corn balls are always kind of awkward. My mom always made us toss them if it was from a neighbor we didn't know!
Last year I chaperoned some kids trick or treating and the worst thing they got was one of those "100 Calorie Pack" packages of wheat thins. Who goes shopping for stuff to give away for Halloween and thinks, "I know, wheat thins!"
That's right up there with prune-filled Fig Newtons.
It's the thought that counts, I guess.
Circus peanuts (which I despise to this day) have to be one of the worst candies of all time.
Growing up in a rural area, kids always went trick or treating in all the businesses downtown 'cause it was easy to get a lot of goodies in a short amount of time. The McDonalds always gave out some of that watered-down tasting orange drink to kids in paper cups. Let's think here: young kids, bouncing around on a sugar high trying to balance a flimsy cup of orange drink while balancing a pail of candy. It was a recipe for a sticky, orange drink mess of a disaster.
The greatest Halloween treat of all time. Little Joes Pizzeria on the Southwest side used to make pizzas throughout the day and let you take a slice as long as you were in costume. They did not mind if you came back more than once.