This Halloween, forget the snack-size Snickers—kids across the US are hoping to score what NBC News calls the "new star of the spooky season" in their trick-or-treat bags: potatoes. The humble tuber is fast becoming an unlikely Halloween prize, though it may have started as a joke: Pennsylvania man Pat Foy began handing out potatoes about 20 years ago to bring back the "trick" element and celebrate his Irish heritage, and he now finds long lines at his house every year, per the Wall Street Journal.
The trend has since taken root nationwide, with households from Georgia to California reportedly scooping up bags of the stuff just for the occasion. Recipients say it's the surprise factor that makes the potato a hit. A Utah teen described a potato she got last year as the "find of the night," per the Journal, while an LA resident says her supply runs out quickly, with plenty of high-fives from kids. Others turn their Halloween potatoes into art projects, science experiments, or, less glamorously, mashed potatoes.
Industry group Potatoes USA has been thrilled to jump on the bandwagon, promoting "trick-or-tater" ideas and even sharing Halloween potato recipes. "Halloween should be playful and memorable," the organization's culinary director, RJ Harvey, tells the Economic Times. "Potatoes are naturally fun."
story continues below
Not everyone is a convert—some kids still prefer candy, and a few spud-givers report more shrugs than squeals. But with social media amplifying the novelty, the potato giveaway seems to be reaching new heights this year—what the Journal calls "the peak of potato." As one Atlanta teacher puts it, with kids' pillowcases already overflowing with sugar, a spud is good for a "genuine gut-felt laugh."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
