20 vintage photos of people celebrating Halloween
- Some Halloween traditions come and go, but others, like trick-or-treating and spooky costumes, are timeless.
- Looking back at vintage photos of Halloween celebrations shows just how much the holiday has changed over the years.
If you went to a Halloween party in the 1940s, chances are you'd be bobbing for apples. In the 1970s, you'd probably be covered in glitter paint.
Some Halloween traditions come and go, but others, like jack-o'-lanterns and trick-or-treating, remain.
Here are 20 vintage photos of people picking pumpkins, marching in costume parades, and enjoying other Halloween traditions.
Bobbing for apples on a string was a popular Halloween party game in the 1930s.
Children bobbed for apples at a Halloween party in Little Italy, New York, in 1939.
Adults enjoyed it, too.
US servicemen bobbed for apples during a Halloween party in Beekman Place in New York City in 1943.
Costume parades gave kids the opportunity to show off their creativity.
Elementary school children participated in a Halloween festival in Anaheim, California, in 1962.
Every parade featured princesses in their finest gowns.
Princess costumes never go out of style.
Superheroes like Spider-Man have been popular costume choices for decades.
Youngsters paraded through Central Park in New York dressed in their Halloween costumes in 1966.
Jack-o'-lanterns are a hallowed Halloween tradition.
These jack-o'-lanterns were photographed in 1965.
Halloween wasn't all parties and costumes — there were also bike rides for charity.
Bicyclists began the Halloween Maximus 500 from the Syracuse campus in 1971 to raise funds for UNICEF.
"The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" filmed a Halloween episode in 1973.
Sonny Bono and Cher incorporated numerous costumes into a Halloween episode of their CBS show.
Children in costume went trick-or-treating at the White House, a tradition that is still around today.
First lady Betty Ford greeted costumed children from the Washington area in 1974 during a Halloween benefit at the White House.
Pumpkin picking was a popular fall activity.
Children sat atop a pumpkin pile in Brewster, New York, in 1976.
Some costumes were head-to-toe getups.
Halloween revelers at New York's Studio 54 danced the night away in 1977.
Spooky magic tricks were the life of A-list events.
Magician Doug Henning, right, showed actor John Ritter a card trick as they celebrated Halloween in 1978 at the Magic Castle, a private magicians' club in Hollywood.
Celebrities like Jane Fonda and The Village People threw massive Halloween parties.
Actress Jane Fonda laughed along with two members The Village People during a Halloween party in 1979 in Los Angeles.
Even police officers got in on the fun.
Policemen from an upper Manhattan precinct dressed in matching Groucho masks on Halloween night in 1980.
Baseball players wore hilarious masks on the field.
Sammy Stewart, left, of the Boston Red Sox looked on in amusement as teammate Al Nipper wore a Halloween mask at Anaheim Stadium in 1986.
Raggedy Ann was a favorite in the '80s.
A woman wore a Raggedy Ann costume in Vacaville, California, in 1986.
Political costumes were also all the rage.
Sales of presidential masks have successfully predicted nearly every US election.
First Lady Barbara Bush used Halloween as an opportunity to teach literacy by reading Halloween stories.
First lady Barbara Bush read a Halloween story for children during a visit to the Literacy Council of Chicago in 1990.
The characters from the Wizard of Oz are still a classic group costume, just as they were in the '90s.
Notre Dame students dressed as characters from "The Wizard of Oz" in 1999.
No matter what the costume or candy du jour was, Halloween has always been about having fun.
David Arnott dressed his golden retriever, Askem, as a three-headed dog in 1997 in New York City.
- Read more:
- The most popular Halloween costumes over the past 150 years — and the fascinating history behind how costume trends have changed
- Can you spot the cat hiding among bats in this spooky Halloween brainteaser?
- 15 of the spookiest Halloween world records
- A couple already won Halloween with their 'It' couples costume — and the photos will give you nightmares
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