Spooky Halloween Trivia Questions to Impress Your Fellow Ghouls & Zombies

Which famous magician actually died (!) on Halloween?

Answer: You might find it hard to believe, but the magician Harry Houdini passed away on Halloween day.

Can you guess how many calories are in the average trick-or-treat Halloween bag?

Answer: Prepare yourself: around 11,000! How's that for motivation to take it easy on night one and tuck a few treats away from later in the week?

Who was the first First Lady to decorate the White House to celebrate Halloween?

Answer: Mamie Eisenhower in 1958. (This 17-x-21-foot jack-'o-lantern is from 1993's decor!)

How many pounds of candy corn are produced every single year?

Answer: You may find it hard to believe, but 35 million pounds of candy corn is made every year! That's 9 billion pieces of the tricolor wonders to munch on every Halloween.

Which candy was handed out to soldiers during the Korean War?

Answer: Launched way back in 1896, Tootsie Rolls were accidentally air-dropped to American troops in battle in the Korean War. The troops went on to praise the candies for keeping them nourished and even plugging bullet holes that would seal as they froze in the frigid temperatures.

Which country holds the record for the largest pumpkin ever?

Answer: Switzerland! Weighing in at a whopping 856 kilograms (just shy of 2,000 pounds), the pumpkin was grown in 2015 and wasn't fit for consumption.

Which of the following is NOT a term for a scarecrow? Hodmedod, Murmet, Doodle sack, Hay-man, Gallybagger, Tattie Bogal, Mommet, Mawkin, Bwbach.

Answer: Doodle Sack. Which is an English word for a bagpipe. Either way you look at it, while the Scarecrow may not have had a heart, he does go by a lot of names!

What were originally used as the first Jack-o'-Lanterns?

Answer: Turnips. Originating in Ireland, people would hollow out turnips and place a lump of coal in it as a type of lantern and set it at their door as a guide for poor "Jack." Jack, legend has it, tricked the devil and wasn't allowed into heaven or hell, so he was cursed to wander the earth forever in the in-between. The Irish then brought this tradition to America and found that pumpkins were a far better alternative to the turnip, thus instilling an American fall tradition.

In what century did the tradition of trick or treating begin?

Answer: The American tradition of trick or treating dates back to the 1920s but in Europe, as early as the 16th century people were known to go from door to door on Halloween night asking for food, reciting verses, wearing costumes, and warning of curses if they didn't get a warm welcome.

In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, who does Linus mistake for the Great Pumpkin?

Answer: Snoopy. Linus faints after seeing a shadowy figure rise in the pumpkin patch, thinking it's the Great Pumpkin. Instead, it was only Snoopy, which Sally sees and gets mad at Linus for making her miss out on all the Halloween fun to wait in the pumpkin patch.

What was Bram Stoker's original name for Dracula?

Answer: Count Wampyr. Wampyr is the German word for vampire. Stoker changed the name to Dracula after seeing the name in a book he borrowed from the library while on summer vacation in 1890.

What year will have the next Halloween with a full moon?

Answer: 2039. The previous Halloween with a full moon was just in 2020 and after this year, so you'll have to wait another 18 years to see another full moon on Halloween night.

What Halloween radio drama caused a mass panic on October 30, 1938?

Answer: War of the Worlds. Originally a special Halloween episode of The Mercury Theatre on the Air, it was directed and performed by actor Orson Wells who adapted it from H.G. Wells' original novel. Whether or not it actually cause mass hysteria and panic is up for debate because apparently there weren't that many listeners.

How many colors of M&Ms are there in a normal bag?

Answer: Six. The colors in a regular bag of M&Ms are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and brown. In 1995, consumers were asked to vote on what color they wanted to replace the original tan M&Ms. Blue won and was introduced later that same year.

What was the first wrapped penny candy in America?

Answer: Tootsie Roll, which was created by Leo Hirschfield in 1907. This lightly cocoa flavored candy was the first mass produced individually wrapped penny candy in America.

What do you sprinkle on your doorstep if you want to keep evil spirts out of your house on Halloween night?

Answer: Salt. We all saw Alison wield a container of salt like a weapon to ward off the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus and it seemed to do the trick...for a while. But outside of Disney movies, according to tradition, sprinkling salt in a room or around an area can ward off evil spirits that may try to harm you. A buddhist tradition would have you throw salt over your shoulder to do the same thing. Either way, a pinch of salt is a small price to pay for a little safety from spirits on Halloween...or any night.

What phobia do you suffer from if you have an extreme fear of Halloween?

Answer: Samhainophobia, which is an abnormal and constant fear of Halloween. Watch out, cause there is fear at every turn during the month of October. The Halloween season has a habit of stirring up even more phobias—fear of cats (coimetrophobia), clowns (coulrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), witches (wiccaphobia), the dark (nyctophobia), ghosts (phasmophobia), and cemeteries (coimetrophobia).

What product is banned in Hollywood on Halloween?

Answer: Silly String. Stay away from Hollywood and Hollywood Boulevard specifically, if you plan on using silly string on Halloween night. A ban on the messy toy went into effect in 2004, due to complaints from business owners, but expect to shell out $1,000 fine if caught with a can in your hand or string in your hair.

In what state is it illegal to dress up as a nun or a priest on Halloween?

Answer: Alabama. According to the law Section 13A-14-4:
"Fraudulently pretending to be clergyman.
Whoever, being in a public place, fraudulently pretends by garb or outward array to be a minister of any religion, or nun, priest, rabbi or other member of the clergy, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. (Acts 1965, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 273, p. 381; Code 1975, §13-4-99.)"

What ghost did British Prime Minister Winston Churchill reportedly see in the White House?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln, according to a story widely told by Churchill. When he was a guest staying at The White House, Churchill was done with a long bath and walking back to his adjoining room, naked with only his cigar, when he saw Lincoln sitting by the fireplace. Churchill said, "Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." To which, Mr. Lincoln apparently only smiled and disappeared.

What does the word "Halloween" mean?

Answer: Hallowed Evening or Holy Night.

How many children have been harmed or injured by poisoned or manipulated candy given to them by strangers on Halloween?

Answer: Zero. We can all remember our parents warning us about taking candy from strangers, instilling fear with stories of hidden razor blades or poison inside candy. Apparently most cases of strangers inserting objects inside candy have been very few and have never lead to any serious cases of injury. Most cases of candy tampering have actually been done by family members and blamed on strangers.

How is the "mystery flavor" of Dum Dums lollipops made?

Answer: Rather than clean the machines out between flavor batches, the company will take the leftovers of flavor A and the leftovers of flavor B and combine them to make the mystery flavor. They then use a wrapper with question marks design to signify its mysterious flavor profile.

What is "souling" and what do people ask for door to door?

Answer: Soul-cakes. The tradition of going door to door and singing and collecting soul-cakes (small little cakes to commemorate the dead) began in the 15th century. This activity didn't involve any costumes or threats to trick but likely influenced our modern day tradition of "trick-or-treating."

If Halloween is the day with the third highest amount of parties held in the USA, what two other days hold the top two spots?

Answer: New Year's and The Super Bowl. Yep, these two other days garner more parties, but Halloween comes in a close third.