Halloween Fun Facts

Super Sized

No matter how scary your local haunted house is, it probably can’t top the Haunted Cave in Lewisburg, Ohio. Measuring 3,564 feet long, the Guinness World Records has named it the world’s longest haunted house. Even spookier: It’s located 80 feet below ground in an abandoned mine.

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The Kids Are Alright

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there will be 41 million trick-or-treaters ages 5 to 14 in America this year. Parents are expected to spend $1 billion on children’s costumes—and if they’re on trend, most of the cash will go towards princess, witch, pirate or Spider-Man get-ups.

Dear Mr. Postman

Although the cards may be ghoulish, the sentiment is sweet—according to Hallmark, Halloween ranks as the sixth most popular card-giving holiday, with 20 million cards sent each year. Christmas comes in first place, with a whopping 1.5 billion cards sent each year.

The Golden Touch

Halloween candy coffers wouldn’t be the same without California. Why? Because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Golden State leads the nation in nonchocolate confectionary production. Out of the 409 sites that manufacture nonchocolate confections in the U.S., California is home to 45 of them.

Heart In Hand

In 1950, Philadelphia-based trick-or-treaters traded in a sweet tooth for a sweet action. In lieu of candy, residents collected change for children overseas and sent it to UNICEF. Subsequently, the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program was born.

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Sweet Spot

Valentine’s Day is no longer the sweetest national holiday—at least when it come to candy sales. More than twice as much chocolate is sold for Halloween as for Valentine’s Day; 90 million pounds of chocolate are sold during Halloween week alone. In total, $1.9 billion is spent on Halloween candy each year.

Dressed To Thrill

Americans are more ready than ever to get into the Halloween spirit. According to the National Retail Federation, 71.5% plan to celebrate the holiday this year—compared with 68.6% last year—and will spend an average of $79.82 per (adult) person on candy, costumes and decor.

The Illusionist

A working magician from the age of 17, Harry Houdini (née Ehrich Weisz) became America’s favorite magician and a world-renown legend for his daring escapes. It was only fitting, then, for this master trickster to die on October 31, 1926—from a ruptured appendix.

Feeling Corny

Since its invention in 1898 by the Herman Goelitz Confectionary Company of Fairfield, California (now known as the Jelly Belly Candy Company), candy corn has been wildly popular—so much so that today, nearly 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced each year.

Great Gourds

Halloween wouldn’t be the same without pumpkins, and thankfully, there are plenty of gourds to go around. According to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2010, the top pumpkin-producing states—Illinois, California, New York and Ohio—produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins.

Circle The Wagons

Due to safety concerns, trunk-or-treating was introduced in 2000 as an alternative to hitting the pavement for candy on Halloween night. Cars are parked in a circle at a school or church parking lot, with event-goers decorating their open trunks and dressing in costume in order to hand out treats.

Money Bags

From its vampy costumes and sweet treats to macabre household decorations, Halloween is big business. So big, in fact, that it’s the second-largest commercial holiday in America—only Christmas surpasses it in sales.

No Teen Spirit

In 2010, Belleville, Illinois, became the latest city to ban trick-or-treating for kids over 12. Teens can face fines from $100 to $1,000 for going door-to-door (although according to officials, more often than not, over-age Halloween-goers are just given a warning).