How Party Bags Began
Party bags began at weddings. Back in the day when people attended a wedding, the couple would give out small gifts to guests as a way of marking the occasion and saying “thanks for coming”. Soon this became a popular tradition for all kinds of events and occasions, including kids’ parties. While the most common event to give these out at is still a birthday party, Halloween party bags make plenty of sense given the other popular October 31st tradition of trick or treat. Kids (and adults for that matter) love dressing up, and they love treats, which is why trick or treat has always been so popular in the past. But times are changing, and not everyone wants trick or treaters knocking on their door, which is why party bags are the way forward!
Choosing the Perfect Party Bag
Choosing the perfect party bag is half the battle. You can go down the traditional route with a Jack o Lantern/Pumpkin style bag or other typical Halloween motif.
You could go for something a little more fun and out there, like putting the party bag fillers in mini witch cauldrons.
Alternatively, you could opt for something that specifically fits your theme, like these superhero-inspired bags.
Or select something a bit more eco-friendly, like paper bags. You can always jazz them up a bit with drawings or Halloween stamps and stickers.
Putting Together Your Party Bags
Some simple steps will guarantee the perfect Halloween party bag. Grab a bag and let’s get started:
Decide on a theme.
Granted, it’s not everyone’s jam, but DIY Halloween party bags certainly allow for more creativity. Firstly, decide on your theme. You can either go for a generic theme or with something more specific like Jack O Lanterns, ghosts, bats, etc.
See our Halloween decorations and tableware for inspiration.
Shop bulk & save money.
Purchase bulk toys to save money, rather than purchasing lots of individual toys. You'll be surprised how far a bulk pack of assorted toys, a large sticker roll, and a multi-pack of pencils will get you!
See Twiddlers' selection of bulk Halloween toys here, perfect for Halloween party bag fillers.
Contents.
Include something for everyone. The best approach is to simply do a mixture of a few mini toys, something a little creative or practical (like a colouring book, pencils, erasers, etc), and some treats. You could even take the DIY concept one step further and bake some Halloween shaped cookies or let the kids make their own treats to take home!
How Many Should I Make?
Count how many are coming and then have a contingency plan. With kids’ parties, you could end up with more or less than your confirmed guest list suggests. You may end up with siblings who end up staying or tag along with their parents at pickup time.
Being Safe at Halloween
When hosting kids’ parties, get any allergy info ahead of time from parents. You should also ensure that you’re clued-up on severity, as you may need to adjust your plans accordingly (severe nut allergies for example may mean you can’t have any nuts in any products or even in the kitchen).
If you do organise for kids to go trick or treating, it’s always a good idea to check their candy first and look for any obvious signs of tampering. Sealed sweets are safest, whilst loose sweets might arouse suspicion and are likely to be unhygienic at best. It’s also a good idea with younger children to make sure whether the sweets will present a choking hazard or not.
Have a Fang-tastic Halloween
Whatever you decide to do this year, we wish you a Happy Halloween from the Twiddlers team!
Shop Halloween goodies here.