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20 vintage photos show how Halloween has been celebrated over the last century

✇Business Insider
By: Talia Lakritz · Erin McDowell
The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, in 1978.
Halloween costumes were pretty wild in the '70s.

Reed Saxon/AP

  • Some Halloween traditions come and go, but trick-or-treating and spooky costumes are timeless.
  • Bobbing for apples was popular in the 1940s, and glitter paint costumes were big in the 1970s.
  • Vintage Halloween photos show how much the holiday has changed over the years.

The way people celebrate the spooky season has evolved over the decades, from homemade costumes and neighborhood parties to school parades and elaborate haunted houses.

For instance, 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.

Each year, the amount of money Americans spend celebrating the holiday seems to grow, too. This Halloween, Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion, the National Retail Federation reported, citing its annual survey.

However, while spending is up from last year, respondents said they were more likely to shop for a costume at discount stores versus specialty Halloween costume stores or online.

Here are 20 vintage photos that show how Halloween celebrations have changed through the years.

Bobbing for apples on a string was a popular Halloween party game in the 1930s.
People bobbing for apples in 1939.
1939.

AP

These children bobbed for apples at a Halloween party in Little Italy, New York, in 1939. 

Adults enjoyed it, too.
Adults bobbing for apples in 1943.
1943.

AP

US servicemen bobbed for apples during a Halloween party in Beekman Place in New York City in 1943.

Costume parades provided kids with the opportunity to showcase their creativity.
A children's costume parade in 1962.
A children's costume parade in 1962.

AP

Elementary school children participated in a Halloween festival in Anaheim, California, in 1962.

Every parade featured princesses in their finest gowns.
Princesses in a Halloween parade in 1962.
Princesses in a Halloween parade in 1962.

AP

Princess costumes never go out of style.

Superheroes like Spider-Man have been popular costume choices for decades.
Children in Halloween costumes in 1966.
Children in Halloween costumes in 1966.

Jacob Harris/AP

Youngsters paraded through Central Park in New York dressed in their Halloween costumes in 1966.

Jack-o'-lanterns are a hallowed Halloween tradition.
Jack-o'-lanterns in 1965.
Jack-o'-lanterns in 1965.

AP

These jack-o'-lanterns were photographed in 1965.

Halloween wasn't all parties and costumes — there were also bike rides for charity.
A Halloween charity bike ride in 1971.
A Halloween charity bike ride in 1971.

AP

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.
The cast of "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in 1973.
The cast of "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in 1973.

David F. Smith/AP

Sonny Bono and Cher incorporated numerous costumes into a Halloween episode of their CBS show, which was on TV in the 1970s.

Children in costume went trick-or-treating at the White House, a tradition that continues today.
Trick-or-treating at the White House in 1974.
Trick-or-treating at the White House in 1974.

Henry Griffin/AP

First lady Betty Ford greeted costumed children from the Washington area in 1974 during a Halloween benefit.

The White House continues to celebrate Halloween each year.

Pumpkin picking was a popular fall activity.
Pumpkin picking in 1976.
Pumpkin picking in 1976.

AP

Children sat atop a pumpkin pile in Brewster, New York, in 1976.

Some costumes were head-to-toe getups.
Halloween costumes in 1977.
Halloween costumes in 1977.

AP/Richard Drew

Halloween revelers at New York's Studio 54 danced the night away in 1977.

Spooky magic tricks were the life of A-list events.
The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, in 1978.
The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, in 1978.

Reed Saxon/AP

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.
Jane Fonda and The Village People in 1979.
Jane Fonda and The Village People in 1979.

George Brich/AP

Actress Jane Fonda laughed along with two members of The Village People during a Halloween party in 1979 in Los Angeles.

Even police officers got in on the fun.
Police officers wearing Halloween costumes in 1980.
Policemen from an upper Manhattan precinct, dressed in matching Groucho masks, gaze from the window of their car on Halloween night, Oct. 31, 1980.

Luongo/AP Photo

Policemen from an upper Manhattan precinct dressed in matching Groucho masks on Halloween night in 1980.

Baseball players wore hilarious masks on the field.
Baseball players in Halloween costumes in 1986.
Baseball players in Halloween costumes in 1986.

AP

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 Raggedy Ann Halloween costume in 1986.
A Raggedy Ann Halloween costume in 1986.

Walt Zeboski/AP

A woman wore a Raggedy Ann costume in Vacaville, California, in 1986.

Political costumes were also all the rage.
Presidential candidate mask costumes in 1988.
Masks of the presidential candidates are demonstrated in time for Halloween at New York's Novelty Co., Oct. 23, 1988. Mark Gordon as Vice President George Bush, left, and Ray Caban as Gov. Michael Dukakis pretend to fight it out.

Mark Lennihan/AP Photo

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 in 1990.
First lady Barbara Bush in 1990.

Mark Elias/AP

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" remain a classic group costume, just as they were in the 1990s.
"The Wizard of Oz" Halloween costumes in 1999.
Notre Dame students celebrate a 28-24 Notre Dame win over Navy on Saturday, Oct. 30, 1999, in South Bend, Ind. From left, Carrie Nixon, Allison Lloyd, and Tiffany O'Brien, dressed as characters from "The Wizard of Oz," cheer on the team on the day before Halloween.

Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

Notre Dame students dressed as characters from "The Wizard of Oz" in 1999.

No matter what the costume or popular candy was, Halloween has always been about having fun.
drag queen dressed as glinda in new york city in 2021
A drag queen dressed as Glinda from "Wicked" stands near a Halloween Drag Show sign at Pasta by Hudson in Chelsea on October 31, 2021.

Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

A drag queen dressed as Glinda from "Wicked" stands near a Halloween Drag Show sign at Pasta by Hudson in Chelsea on October 31, 2021.

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