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Haunted Library Trunk or Treat

5482 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Skelly215
I work for the Boys & Girls Club and we're going to participate in a local Trunk or Treat event. Our Theme is a haunted library... We are dressing as characters from children's books... We have the mouse from If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, Katniss from Hunger Games, Miss Frizzle, Pippi Longstocking and Hermione from Harry Potter. The vehicle we're using is a Ford Econoline that has the double doors in the back tha open all the way. In addition to treats, each child will also receive a book! hence the haunted Library theme.

I'm a pretty creative person, but I'm drawing a blank on decorations! Throw some ideas at me! Thanks!
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Would you be able to build a small shelf or two that would fit in the back? Stacked with books and some Halloween props it could be really cool.

Set a few skeletons up in the back. Prop books up in their hands. Dress one up as a librarian.

Old thrift store books that are otherwise never going to be used or are woefully out-of-date are fun to play around with. I've seen some really cool things that people have done to age them or make them look like spell books.
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Animated bookcases along the inside walls with books moving on their own. A stretchy fabric covering on a fake book you could press a mannequin head through (a la screaming book in harry potter), hang some tea lights on fishing line from the ceiling for floating candles. Use those hollowed out Michaels books for candy or treats. Maybe a projected ghost inside the van on the wall if you have a mini projector and dvd available. (That opening scene from Ghostbusters always a good scare).
You get BIG POINTS for giving away books with the treats. Excellent idea!!
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Awesome! Another option is to get a skeleton and have him relaxing in a lounge chair or easy chair in the back of the car. Dress up the space with a soft blanket, a tray of snakcs & a drink. Perch an open book in the skellies hands and make a banner or sign that says something like "A good book never dies" or "Books Live Forever" or "Reading never gets old" or something like that.

If you really had room & wanted to get a little crazy, do the above scene but have a couple of chairs and put a mummy in one, a vampire in one, a zombie in one & a skelly in the other. You could call it the undead bookclub or something. LOL!

I love that you're giving out books too!
I like the skeleton librarian idea. In fact, we have one next to our Little Free Library at Halloween. (And thank you for giving out books to your TOTs - you never know when you will spark the interest of a future booklover!)

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Go up! Put something on the roof to get peoples attention.

Also, something like Bigants Cheap and easy Monster in a box prop could be used (a haunted book prop adaptation?).

Cheap, easy to make, Battery operated but also fired from a remote, so you can time it perfectly so scare Toters.
What the hell is Trunk or Treat? Sounds like it goes against every Halloween/Samhain stands for.
What the hell is Trunk or Treat? Sounds like it goes against every of Halloween/Samhain stands for.
One of my children is autistic, so I'm in touch with quite a few other parents and caregivers of individuals with varying needs within the community. While my son can go door-to-door, a lot of his friends can't for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is that they are wheelchair bound or have other mobility issues. Trunk or Treat is the only way that some of them can enjoy Halloween.
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Wow! Lots of great ideas Thank you!... I'm going to scrounge around for a book case.. I'm definitely going to do the chair and skeleton! cob webs and maybe an electric/battery operated candelabra if I can find one.

I want to see if I can print this large enough to recess as a backdrop if I take the rear seat out. Room Building Furniture Interior design Collection


The area where our Club is in town is not conducive to traditional door-to-door trick of treating for a variety of reasons. Trunk or Treat is trick or treating by going truck to trunk in the parking lot of or Town Recreation Center. Its the safest option for our kids... We had 900 last year (our first) and fully expect that number to double this year!




I work for the Boys & Girls Club and we're going to participate in a local Trunk or Treat event. Our Theme is a haunted library... We are dressing as characters from children's books... We have the mouse from If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, Katniss from Hunger Games, Miss Frizzle, Pippi Longstocking and Hermione from Harry Potter. The vehicle we're using is a Ford Econoline that has the double doors in the back tha open all the way. In addition to treats, each child will also receive a book! hence the haunted Library theme.

I'm a pretty creative person, but I'm drawing a blank on decorations! Throw some ideas at me! Thanks!
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 2
Wow! Lots of great ideas Thank you!... I'm going to scrounge around for a book case.. I'm definitely going to do the chair and skeleton! cob webs and maybe an electric/battery operated candelabra if I can find one.

I want to see if I can print this large enough to recess as a backdrop if I take the rear seat out. View attachment 259623

The area where our Club is in town is not conducive to traditional door-to-door trick of treating for a variety of reasons. Trunk or Treat is trick or treating by going truck to trunk in the parking lot of or Town Recreation Center. Its the safest option for our kids... We had 900 last year (our first) and fully expect that number to double this year!
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I came across a cute photo display of other Trunk or Treat options. There's no library, but lots of cute ideas here & thought I should add it to this post. Maybe someone else will see something they like, or you could consider any of these for next year!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/3...r-treat-ideas-youll-wish-youd-thou#.eienlqnv3

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I came across a cute photo display of other Trunk or Treat options. There's no library, but lots of cute ideas here & thought I should add it to this post. Maybe someone else will see something they like, or you could consider any of these for next year!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/3...r-treat-ideas-youll-wish-youd-thou#.eienlqnv3

Thank you for that! I'm doing my 1st ever trunk or treat with my daughter's Girl Scout troop on 10/30. (it's always been on 10/31 before, which obviously doesn't work for us.) I could use more ideas.
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