What is Trunk or Treat?

Happy Halloween season from Mom Fuel! 

Trunk or Treat events are a swiftly growing trend for safe and fun alternatives to trick or treating. Perhaps your neighborhood isn’t well lit or you are unsure of your neighbors. Maybe you really just don’t want to traipse around your neighborhood reminding your kids to say “thank you” to neighbors all night.  Maybe you are trick-or-treating the night of Halloween, but want to attend your community Trunk or Treat event as well to show off your family’s incredible costumes. 

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During a Trunk or Treat event, a group of people decorates the trunk of their car. Some people have themes that call for decorating their WHOLE car, while some ideas only require decorations truly in the trunk of your car. Everyone in the group parks together in a parking lot and the kids walk from car to car, collecting candy. I have personally seen this trend in churches, neighborhoods, schools, and other community organizations.

So you and your family have signed up to participate in a Trunk or Treat event. You get to decorate your trunk, dress your kids up, hand out candy from your trunk, and so much more. Now what?

Trunk or Treat Tips and Tricks for Moms

Pick A Theme: Your theme will shape your entire experience. Pick a theme your whole family will get excited about and enjoy. If you can’t think of a theme, use one from this post to spark your creativity.

Find Your Costumes: Coordinate your costumes to match your car’s decoration theme. For example, decorate your car as a zoo and dress each family member as their favorite zoo animal. The possibilities are endless!

Add An Activity: Some of us love to be “extra”. This step is for you. Add a game or activity to your trunk so kids can earn a prize.

Themed Prizes: Pick up candy NOW for the best selection. If you don’t want to hand out the usual candy, find something else to hand out at your car that goes with your theme. If you decorate your car with a Disney theme, hand out character stickers or Disney birthday goodie bag toys. Have some fun with it!

Show Your Pride: Have fun with your ideas and tap into your family’s unique interests. Do you all love board games? Do you love the Minnesota Vikings as we do? Find a theme that pulls your family together and enjoy the memories you make together.

Trunk or Treat Themes

Animals Trunk or Treat Ideas

Circus – Decorate your car like a circus including real peanuts or peanut-shaped candies. Dress your family as circus animals or carnival characters.  

Zoo – Decorate your car as your favorite zoo (St. Louis Zoo is our absolute favorite) and dress family members as zoo animals or zoo workers.

Safari – Decorate your car to look like a safari jeep and dress your family as safari explorers and/or animals.

Sharks – Baby Shark is STILL popular. And there are so many Baby Shark decorations and costumes that are easy to find. Pinkfong offers Halloween-themed remixes that can be played from your car.

Children’s Stories Trunk or Treat Ideas

Toy Story – Decorate your trunk as Andy’s room and dress your family up as the Toy Story characters. Offer Toy Story party favors as prizes.

Aladdin – Lay a magic carpet out front and decorate your trunk to look like the cave of wonders with candy and prizes inside to grab. Dress your family as their favorite character from Aladdin.

Magic School Bus – Decorate your car as the Magic School Bus and dress your family as the characters from the beloved show. Hand out science-themed prizes and candy.

Wizard of Oz – Decorate your car to look like The Emerald City and throw a yellow brick road down in front. Dress your family as their favorite character from The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy can hand out candy and prizes from a picnic basket!

Food and Drink Trunk or Treat Ideas

Candy Land – Decorate your car as a dandy Candy Land and dress your family up as Candy Land characters or game pieces. Hand out the types of candy included on the game board. 

Gingerbread House – Decorate your car to look like an old-fashioned gingerbread house and dress your family up as gingerbread people. Give out a bag of gumdrops with a note that says “ Not my gumdrop button!”

Bubble Gum – Decorate your car to look like a bubblegum dispenser. Fill your trunk with balloons and cover it with clear cellophane. Dress your family in shirts representing their favorite brand of bubblegum. 

Picnic – Set up a picnic blanket in your trunk and set up either real or toy picnic accessories. Dress your adult family members as picnickers and dress the kids as picnic foods. 

Scary Trunk or Treat Ideas

Graveyard – Decorate your car to look like a graveyard with creepy trees, grass, and dirt. Dress your family as gravestones with funny punny names on them – much like Disneyland uses to decorate their Haunted Mansion attraction. 

Ghosts – Either add ghosts to the graveyard setup or decorate your car as a haunted house. Dress your family up as ghosts, either cute ghosts or scary ghosts.

Cursed Treasure Chest – Decorate your car to look like a giant treasure chest and fill your trunk with candy and prizes. Dress your family up as pirates guarding their precious treasure. 

Witches Dungeon – Need some inspiration? Channel the Sanderson Sister’s lair. Decorate your car to look like a witch’s lair. Dress your family as witches from your favorite book or movie. 

Family Memories Trunk or Treat Ideas

Camping – Decorate your car to be a campsite and dress your family as campers. Roast (safely) marshmallows in front of your trunk and hand out S’mores ingredients. 

Sports Team – Does your family love a sport or team together? Decorate your car to look like a field, court, arena, or whatever your favorite sport or team play on. Dress each family member in a jersey representing the team(s) you love!

Hunting – Does your family hunt together? Decorate your car to look like your favorite hunting environment. Dress in your best hunting gear and hand out orange candy. Please do not use real guns at a trunk or treat event.

Location Theme – Take everyone on a trip to your favorite location. Decorate your car to represent your favorite family vacation. Dress your family up for the activities you did together on that vacation. 

Attending a Trunk or Treat event is a great way to celebrate Halloween as a family and celebrate with your community. 

Remember…you are a mom and therefore already responsible for a lot of things. If you are invited to a Trunk or Treat event and do not want to attend, that is absolutely fine. No guilt. If you are invited and want to attend but don’t have much time or energy, keep it simple. No guilt. If you are invited, RSVP “heck yes” immediately, and want to spend time and energy on your trunk, great! No guilt. Do it, have fun with it, and enjoy yourself. 

Happy Halloween from Mom Fuel!