How does everyone hold their candy for Tots?

This year we are setting up a Frankenstein-style lab in the garage. So for those brave enough... the best candy will be retrieved by reaching inside the chest cavity of the body on the table.

Okay, it's a cauldron- BUT... I put a sheet of white spandex where the liquid would normally be, split in two halves. Then from above, I have a Wonderwall projector that shoots a bubbling red liquid image onto the white spandex, and makes a spotlight effect around the cauldron. With the bubbling sound piped into the cauldron, kids think it's the usual air line gag, or dry ice. Then we reach into the mess, and pull out candy for them.

MC HauntDreams said:

This year we are setting up a Frankenstein-style lab in the garage. So for those brave enough... the best candy will be retrieved by reaching inside the chest cavity of the body on the table.

Click to expand...

Love that!!!

The Mask Doctor said:

Okay, it's a cauldron- BUT... I put a sheet of white spandex where the liquid would normally be, split in two halves. Then from above, I have a Wonderwall projector that shoots a bubbling red liquid image onto the white spandex, and makes a spotlight effect around the cauldron. With the bubbling sound piped into the cauldron, kids think it's the usual air line gag, or dry ice. Then we reach into the mess, and pull out candy for them.

Click to expand...

That's no ordinary cauldron!! What a great idea!!

Woah, amazing! What a fantastic idea, I'll have to try this.

I use pretty traditional candy bowls/trays but I do get creative with how the kids GET the candy. One year, they had their hands and eyebrows inspected to make sure they weren't werewolves. Last year they played carnival type games and spun a wheel. This year, they will have to sign the Bates Motel guest book and trade their room key for candy.

I got an anatomy skull on Amazon. The top of the cranium comes off. I aged it with a shoe polish and lined the inside with black cloth. I wedged a battery tea light behind the jaw to give it a glow. When the kiddos come to the door I pop the cranium piece off and offer the kids to pick candy from the skull.

I am having a Carnevil theme and the 'clown' will be handing out small popcorn bags filled with the candy along with balloons (non helium) on sticks.

I have several Halloween bowls & platters that friends have given me over the years - one even brought me a platter when she came over last Halloween as a gift for the party! - so most of them get used for tablescapes or actual food, but I always put aside one bowl for the candy & one platter for the toys (I kinda spread them out so they can see what's there without having to dig through everything). They get a pick from each one (unless someone's allergic to chocolate - last year, I had one very polite little boy tell me this, so of course he got two toys!). This year, I think I'm going with my skull platter & the spider bowl

MC HauntDreams said:

This year we are setting up a Frankenstein-style lab in the garage. So for those brave enough... the best candy will be retrieved by reaching inside the chest cavity of the body on the table.

Click to expand...

That is hilarious.

I have a huge cauldron that I hold the candy in. For the smaller kiddos I will hand it out but the older ones have a special cauldron covered in webbing that they can reach into to get the good stuff.

For now, I'm just using a bowl. But next year the kiddies might just have to be a little braver to get their goodies! I have a plan in mind that will eliminate the bowl, make the candy self serve, and keep the older hooligans from grabbing handfuls. I'll still hand it out from a second bowl to the little ones or the ones who aren't very brave.

Yeah...I use a bowl. Lol! <-- lame alert!

That sounds wonderfully creepy for the kids! Please, post photos!!

Wow we just have a giant cauldron but you guys are definitely inspiring me to step it up. Of course the kids are normally so scared by the time they get to the door they might not reach in!

Mine is a metal farm bucket topped with foam guts that look really wet and gooey. There's a hole in the center just big enough to stick your hand in and grab one piece of candy.