Halloween FUN FACTS

·         90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags.

·         In the United States, the first citywide celebration of Halloween was in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.

·         Orange and black are Halloween colors: Orange is associated with fall harvest, and black is associated with darkness and death.

·         Over $1.5 billion is spent on costumes each year, more than $2.5 billion is spent on other Halloween paraphernalia, and about $2 billion on candy.

·         Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday; Christmas is the first.

·         Tootsie Rolls, a popular Halloween treat, were the first individually wrapped penny candy in the U.S.

·         Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters, with Snickers first.

·         Apple bobbing is believed to have originated from a Roman harvest festival held in honor of Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees.

·         Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Halloween Party, is about a girl who is drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

·         Vampire bats do exist, but they are not from Transylvania. They live in South and Central America, and thrive on the blood of cattle, horses, and birds.

·         The 1978 blockbuster, Halloween, was made in only 21 days, on a very limited budget.

·         Hundreds of vampire clubs and societies exist and claim to have real vampires as their members.

·         About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween.

·         67% of adults take part in Halloween activities, such as parties, and trick-or-treating with their children.

·         86% of Americans decorate their house for Halloween.

·         Over 10% of pet owners dress their pets in Halloween costumes.

·         The first Halloween card was made in the early 1920s.

·         More than 35 million pounds of Candy Corn will be bought for Halloween.

·         The tradition of making Jack O’ Lanterns is thousands of years old.

·         Jack O’ Lanterns originated in Ireland, where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

·         Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe, who celebrated the harvest around a bonfire, shared ghost stories, sang, danced, and told fortunes.

Source: icebreakerideas.com

HALLOWEEN FUN QUIZ

1.    Where did the Ghostbusters see their first ghost in the 1984 film?

a)Dana Barrett’s apartment  b)New York Public Library  c)Sedgewick Hotel

d)Madison Square Garden

2.    According to CandyStore.com, in what state is it the norm for trick-or-treaters to receive full size candy bars on Halloween?   a)Oregon    b)California    c)Texas    d)New Jersey

3.    What do you sprinkle on your doorstep to ward off ghosts on Halloween?

a)Salt      b)Rosemary     c)Morning Glory     d)Goofer Dust

4.    What was the original name for Candy Corn?

a)Haystacks    b)Sweet Kernels    c)Candy Kernels    d)Chicken Feed

5.    In It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, who does Linus mistake for the Great Pumpkin?

a)Sally     b)Charlie Brown     c)Snoopy     d)Lucy

6.    Which movie does the line “Do you like scary movies?” come from?

a)The Nightmare Before Christmas  b)Hocus Pocus    c)Halloween    d)Scream

7.    What is the name of the vessel that witches used for potion brewing?

a)Calderon     b)Cauldron     c)Brew Pot     d)Cast Iron Kettle

8.    What is currently the most popular costume for dogs and cats?

a)Pumpkin    b)Witch     c)Hot Dog    d)Super Hero

9.    Which Halloween custom began as a way of finding out who would get married first?

a)Trick-or-treating   b)Masks   c)Bonfires     d)Bobbing for apples

10.  What was Dr. Frankenstein’s first name?  a)Igor   b)Boris    c)Victor    d)Lurch

11.  Who sang the song Monster Mash? 

a)Billy Ray Cyrus    b)Bobby Pickett   c)Frankie Avalon    d)Frank Sinatra

12.  What is the term for a group of witches, traditionally 13 members?

a)Brood     b)Commune    c)Coven    d)Cackle

(Answers: 1:b, 2:a, 3:a, 4:d, 5:c, 6:d, 7:b, 8:a, 9:d, 10:c, 11:b, 12:c)