Happy spooky season! Want to be truly horrified by your fellow New Jerseyans? This will do the trick (or treat).

On Friday’s afternoon show on NJ101.5 we talked about the worst things you’ve received or handed out on Halloween.

I want to be very clear up front that this is not a fear mongering article about razorblades or laced candy: this is about wild things that NJ101.5 listeners admitted to giving out or receiving.

Canva
Canva
loading...

Here are some of the items handed to trick or treaters that I find bonkers:

Packets of condiments

Karen in Pennsylvania took the “trick” part of “trick or treat” a little too seriously.

Throughout the year she saved up condiment packets from various meals and gave those out to kids who she didn’t feel put a lot of time or effort into their costumes.

Kids with costumes that seem ‘less than’ are going home with ketchup, mustard, or soy sauce.

Photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash
Photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash
loading...

Old candy canes

Stacy from Manahawkin admits that this may have scarred her kids. She handed out around 50 candy canes from the previous year's Christmas.

Her logic was that she was on a diet that year and didn’t want to be tempted by chocolate. She later found some of them discarded at the curb.

I appreciate how unapologetic she is about the whole ordeal.

Candycanes a favorite treat at Christmas time
dndavis
loading...

Warmed hot dogs

Brendan from Spotswood said his friend gave out hot dogs one Halloween. No buns. Not necessarily hot. No napkins to hold them. Just lukewarm hot dogs.

Too bad he didn’t live next to the condiment lady.

Hot dog with barbecue grill marks, side view isolated on a white background
jenifoto
loading...

Unwrapped Marshmallows

Tammy from Jackson took her kids trick-or-treating only to see them get something out of the ordinary.

The person who answered the door gave her kids a few unwrapped marshmallows. Not even Halloween-themed peeps (still not great), just loose marshmallows.

Luckily the kids didn’t eat them, she said the whole situation was gross.

Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash
Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash
loading...

Coins shoved into apples

You read that right.

Joe from Alamucci threw his dad under the bus. In the ’70s, his father would shove quarters or nickels into apples and hand those out to trick-or-treaters.

Don’t worry, the police were called and stopped the whole ordeal.

Dennis Malloy photo
Dennis Malloy photo
loading...

A bag of rice

John in Somerset recalled receiving a ziplock bag of uncooked white rice one Halloween.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” asked 8-year-old John. It went uneaten.

Heap of uncooked parboiled rice on a cutting board with white background
sevenstockstudio
loading...

Pennies

This is one I experienced, and I find it baffling.

What is a kid supposed to do with seven cents? All you’re doing is weighing down the trick-or-treater's bag with useless coins.

A jar of pennies surrounded by pennies.
John_Brueske
loading...

Ramen noodles

Den in Bethlehem told us that he was given ramen noodles as a kid. To me, this seems like more trouble for the person giving it out than just getting a bag of Reeses, but to each their own.

If you're looking for a better way to celebrate Halloween than with any of those items, here are some horror movie suggestions.

The Best Horror Movie From Every Year

Counting down a century's worth of monsters, demons and things that go bump in the night.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

LOOK: 34 spooky dessert recipes for this Halloween

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.