Teal Pumpkin Project Follow-Up: Non-Food Treats Kids Will Love
So, you're on board with handing out non-food treats along with your Halloween candy this year... now where do you begin to find cool toys that your trick-or-treaters will love? Look no further than a number of your local stores! The Teal Pumpkin Project® has gained so much steam over the past few years that Halloween toys are more accessible than ever. Here is a round-up of where you can find some super fun non-food goodies this season.
FAACT and Walmart: Look for the Teal Ghost!
National food allergy advocacy group Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) has teamed up with Walmart stores to provide shoppers with cutest non-food treats in town this year. And, they are so easy to spot! All you have to look for is the teal ghost predominately displayed on the store's Halloween shelves, and you will know that you've hit the jackpot.
Here is a picture of the FAACT teal ghost display in my local Walmart. I was amazed at the selection of items! They have a number of toys at varying price points, but what really caught my eye were all of the jumbo packs of toys available. You can get a 50-pack of goodies like stickers, yo-yo's, Halloween jewelry and fake bugs for just $4.98. They also have other items like Halloween cups, stickers, pencils and vampire teeth... (Just for the record, please get the vampire teeth. They will absolutely be the first thing to go on Halloween - kids LOVE those!)
This is a super cute campaign and such a a great partnership. For more information on FAACT and their Halloween program, click here.
Costco
I didn't think I could love Costco anymore, but then I came across these huge bags of non-food Halloween treats at my local store. I found them right next to the large bulk bags of Halloween candy, so they were easy to spot. What a score! Costco is offering mini puzzles, mega packs of Shopkins and little cans of *Play-Doh. Prices start at $12.69 for the 20-pack of mini puzzles, and go up from there.
*Just keep in mind that Play-Doh contains wheat and may cause problems for trick-or-treaters with wheat allergies.
Your Local "Dollar" Store
In year's past, my local dollar store has always been my first stop when looking for inexpensive non-food treats. Look at the entire shelf full of Halloween goodies at my local Dollar Tree! This particular location had a variety of pencils, erasers, stickers, fake bugs, spider rings and Halloween necklaces available... each pack for just $1. You can stock up it one shot and it will cost you much less than it would if you were buying Halloween candy.
My only suggestion is to shop early. My experience with dollar stores is that items tend to sell out weeks before Halloween, and they don't necessarily restock before the big day.
Target
I love the dollar bins that sit at the front of Target stores. They are usually stocked seasonally, and I'm always amazed at the cute little things I can find for just a couple of bucks in this section. Halloween time is no exception! Here is a picture of the basket full of goodies that I found for just $1 a pack. My bundle included glowstick bracelets, pencil toppers, pencils and erasers.
Target also carries a variety of non-food Halloween trinkets in their Halloween section, so be sure to take a peek in that part of the store, too!
Online Resources
If you want to search for non-food treats from the comfort of your own home, the good news is that there are some great online resources for these items, also! Websites like Amazon and Oriental Trading offer large bulk-sized packs of toys and favors. Just order ahead and you'll be all set for Halloween.
To view Amazon's Halloween toy selection, click here. For Oriental Trading's website, click here.
Happy shopping everyone!
