When people are asked to rank the items they've received during trick-or-treat night in their childhood, you can be assured that the aggregate results will be full-size candy bars at the top, and toothbrushes given out at the dentist's house near the bottom, ranking second only to Chick tracts in disappointment. So it might surprise you to find that potatoes are often a popular Halloween treat.
In Calgary, redditor kuebed opened the door to trick-or-treaters and gave them a choice between candy or a potato. Of the 102 children who came to the door, 84 selected candy and 18 (17.65%) chose to take a potato.
Sarah Ross of Milwaukee gave out raw potatoes for Halloween and had such a great reaction from kids that her story went viral! Replies to Ross's potato story included folks who had given out unusual treats (potatoes, onions, ramen noodles) in years past and got a good reaction.
Minnesotastan offered trick-or-treaters a choice of a bag of chips or a seashell. He has done this for years, and has found that the percentage of children who selected a seashell has gone up over time, with a large majority selecting a seashell in 2022.
The crucial part of these experiments is the element of choice. A lot of children will choose candy, but for those who went the other route, what they got a was special. Every trick-or-treat night involves candy, and there are only so many kinds of store-bought candy to be given out. Amongst all that sugar, a potato is unique, and therefore exciting. When a child gets a potato or seashell, they can't wait to tell everyone, and suddenly "that house" is one that all their friends want to visit. You can be assured that that house, and that Halloween, will be the one they remember for years.
(Image credit: kuebed)