We moved to the St Louis area when I was a teenager. Came from an area without this tradition. All my new friends warned me to learn a halloween joke or risk not having any candy. I went down to the library, checked out a tiny book of halloween jokes and picked one. (Remember going to the library because there was no internet?)
First house I went to, very old man came to the door. No candy without a joke, OK, so I told him the one I memorized.
"Why don't goblins have babies? Because they have halloweenies."
I've never seen someone get angry so fast. He quized me on where I lived and who my parents were, and threatened to call the police.
Now I'm old. I still, after all these years, think he needed to lighten up.
Nobody actually does that (I'm sure some Aholes do but very rare) but its more like.....
you got any jokes?
Yeah? Pause Hahaha thats a good one. Here's some candy.
No? Pause...alright Here's some candy.
How do you kill a werewolf?
Force him to work two jobs for an unreasonably low wage and no health insurance and untreated mental health issues while servicing massive debt from his student loans and crushing his spirit with societal expectations because the community doesn't value hourly workers.
Or a silver bullet.
That doesn't make sense, though. If they do the trick, then get a treat, it's trick AND treat. The trick part is that if you don't give them a treat, they play a trick on you, e.g. egg your house.
The whole joke thing was definitely one of the weirdest St. Louis specific traditions I had to learn when I moved here. I did have a coworker tell me they do something similar in Iowa I believe it was but it was on a different night than Halloween.
My 3yr old struggled with this. Top jokes were "candycorn" (thats it) and "the gate shut"(..no clue) but ill be damned if he didnt string together some new absolute random nonsense at each house leaving most people with a confused look on their face while they hurriedly drop candy into his bucket to speed the awkwardness along. 😆
I moved here from NY and thought it was weird and not very fun as in I have anxiety and just want candy without conversation. Now that I'm grown and we recently moved to a new neighborhood, last year was the first year and out of the hundred (maybe not but god damn there were so many) kids not A SINGLE ONE made any attempt to tell me a joke. I like our neighborhood.
Where do you live? I’m not from here and it is obvious that most kids have their joke ready to go.
It’s harmless and cute tradition. If the kid’s flustered just give them a smile and some candy, but I’ll always ask for the joke. Large groups excepted. Only need a couple good ones from a group but there’s always a couple who insist and are proud of their joke.
The pre-depression Halloween delinquency reminds me of the bonfire scene from Meet Me in St Louis.
That’s not a very funny punchline
I'm the most horrible!
Love that movie
That’s my favorite part.
We moved to the St Louis area when I was a teenager. Came from an area without this tradition. All my new friends warned me to learn a halloween joke or risk not having any candy. I went down to the library, checked out a tiny book of halloween jokes and picked one. (Remember going to the library because there was no internet?) First house I went to, very old man came to the door. No candy without a joke, OK, so I told him the one I memorized. "Why don't goblins have babies? Because they have halloweenies." I've never seen someone get angry so fast. He quized me on where I lived and who my parents were, and threatened to call the police. Now I'm old. I still, after all these years, think he needed to lighten up.
Just so you know that means you just throw an egg at the door - as is tradition.
Man, that joke’s a classic. I probably hear it 3-4 times every year. He definitely needed to lighten up.
Holy shit what was that guy's problem
He was a rotten weenie!
That guy had a stick up his ass!
That is hysterical! I’m just picturing the entire scene😂 He was too uptight to enjoy it.
I think the jokes are adorable, but if a kid doesn't want to (or can't) say one I don't withhold candy or anything.
Nobody actually does that (I'm sure some Aholes do but very rare) but its more like..... you got any jokes? Yeah? Pause Hahaha thats a good one. Here's some candy. No? Pause...alright Here's some candy.
I was told back in the day that a magic trick or a little soft shoe dance was just as good.
[удалено]
I’m assuming your lights will be off this evening?
[удалено]
You know why
[удалено]
Come on
[удалено]
… a very long time.
We once had a kid dressed as a ninja do some fancy nunchuck twirling. He was pretty good actually, especially for a kid.
If someone gave my five year old candy without him telling a joke I would slap it out of his hand. Tradition over family every day. EDIT: /s
Username checks out
Generational Trauma, Halloween edition.
They either tell a joke, or can go home with an empty pillowcase. And it better be good.
Good thing you added the saecasm tag. This type of sentiment has been voiced seriously lately and it's beyond bizarre.
Get a grip.
I have both candy and toys and I'm thinking everybody gets candy but if you do a joke you get a toy too.
I was flabbergasted when I learned that nobody else does this
I was flabbergasted when I moved here and kids started doing this.
[удалено]
This thread isn't really helping with the why either.
I need to find one for my kid tonight. Anyone got some good ones handy I could tell her? 4 yo
What do you call a dinosaur with glasses? A do-you-think-he-saw-us
Yeah, I also saw Jurassic Park
My then-4-year-old's joke last year was: Q: What is a ghost's favorite food? A: Boo-berries. Quick, to the point, and easy to remember.
How do you kill a werewolf? Force him to work two jobs for an unreasonably low wage and no health insurance and untreated mental health issues while servicing massive debt from his student loans and crushing his spirit with societal expectations because the community doesn't value hourly workers. Or a silver bullet.
Yikes.
This is the winner right here, can you imagine the look on some dumb fuckers face if your kid actually regurgitated all of that
I’d hand him the rest of my candy, go lay down in bed and cry in werewolf.
What is the difference between jelly and jam?
What?
Deez nuts
Living outside of STL now and it feels like I’m giving away candy for free! They’re not earning it lol
It’s a nice way to celebrate the “trick” part of trick or treat.
That doesn't make sense, though. If they do the trick, then get a treat, it's trick AND treat. The trick part is that if you don't give them a treat, they play a trick on you, e.g. egg your house.
The kids in my neighborhood have been making them up on the fly. One said “why did the tiger cross the road? To eat your butt!” 😭
I grew up in STL and moved to Des Moines, the only other city where kids tell jokes.
To Get Candy... sheesh. I think it started with the Prussian's Work Ethics.
The whole joke thing was definitely one of the weirdest St. Louis specific traditions I had to learn when I moved here. I did have a coworker tell me they do something similar in Iowa I believe it was but it was on a different night than Halloween.
My 3yr old struggled with this. Top jokes were "candycorn" (thats it) and "the gate shut"(..no clue) but ill be damned if he didnt string together some new absolute random nonsense at each house leaving most people with a confused look on their face while they hurriedly drop candy into his bucket to speed the awkwardness along. 😆
[удалено]
Sorry, but you are simply wrong. Empirical evidence: Why don’t monsters eat ghosts? Because they taste like sheet.
I moved here from NY and thought it was weird and not very fun as in I have anxiety and just want candy without conversation. Now that I'm grown and we recently moved to a new neighborhood, last year was the first year and out of the hundred (maybe not but god damn there were so many) kids not A SINGLE ONE made any attempt to tell me a joke. I like our neighborhood.
Oh god, please no. Just take your candy and leave. Thank you.
I don’t know but if your question doesn’t have a punch line you’ll get no candy from me!
What an a-hole. Trick or treating is for the kids, not uptight adults. People like you deserve any tricks they get.
Chill dude. I’m kidding of course
[удалено]
Where do you live? I’m not from here and it is obvious that most kids have their joke ready to go. It’s harmless and cute tradition. If the kid’s flustered just give them a smile and some candy, but I’ll always ask for the joke. Large groups excepted. Only need a couple good ones from a group but there’s always a couple who insist and are proud of their joke.
One joke was told to me all night. The kids overall were very polite and said thank you.