Halloween on Paper

By Robert Reed

As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, October 2009           

Halloween is a heavy favorite among those interested in holiday collectibles, and so much of it is on paper that the combination of the two creates a very hot category.

"What helped Halloween move up from the pack to become nearly number one in collecting is due to the fact that it was such a child-related experience and so much of the material was stored away after the season," notes Essential Buyers Guide to Paper Collectibles from Wallace-Homestead.

"Even families of modest means usually managed to get the children costumed for trick or treat night, and much of the decorations and other material involved was then carefully packed away--like Christmas tree ornaments--until next year.  This practice undoubtedly saved many Halloween collectibles which would have perished otherwise from play or extended use."

The celebration of Halloween in the United States has largely been a 20th century happening although one season related book has been popular for much longer.  Washington Irving wrote of the "tall, but exceedingly lank" Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the early 1800s but 20th century editions are quite collectible.  A 1906 green cloth edition from Bob Merrill lists at $75 on up.  Editions from the late 1920s illustrated by Arthur Rackham would likely be worth more.

Postcards had an early and profound effect on the observation of Halloween and not surprisingly are a significant part of the paper collectibles of that holiday today.  Those produced from 1910 to World War I may be twice as valuable as those from many other holidays.  Those produced by John Winsch are prized, along with artists such as Ellen Clapsaddle, Frances Brundage, and E.C. Banks.

In the years that followed WW I magazines often selected a Halloween theme for the cover of their October issue.  In 1920 artist provided such a holiday cover for the Saturday Evening Post, including a child wearing a white sheet with a Jack 0 Lantern pumpkin on a stick.

During the early 1920s wholesale companies in the U.S. offered a wide variety of paper Halloween decorations including pumpkin lanterns, crepe paper comic figures, pressed paper owls, and orange and black tissue paper garlands.  They also provided paper hats and masks, boxes, invitations, place cards and even Halloween greeting cards.

There were booklets like How to Entertain on Halloween, from Dennison Manufacturing Company in 1926, and Pranks & Parties in 1927.  Occasionally there was even sheet music related to the holiday, such as the March of the Salem Witches.  Butterick was one of the leading dress pattern companies which provided paper sewing patterns for children and adult costumes.

In the 1930s and 1940s die-cut, embossed cardboard Halloween decorations were very popular as people marked the event with paper-based skeletons, black cats, and witches.  One leading manufacturer was H.E. Lehrs, although there were many domestic and foreign decoration makers serving the growing market.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s the observance of Halloween often became a special day in schools nationwide, frequently this included costume parties in the classroom.  Today those black and white class photos of Halloween 'dress-up days' are quite collectible.

Even the paper bags youngsters once collected their treats in are now sought according to Helaine Fendelman and Jeri Schwartz the authors of the Official Price Guide to Holiday Collectibles.

"Specialized trick-or-treat bags for carrying one's loot or candy, most no more than 40 years old, have become popular collectibles," they note.  "Since they were paper and were thrown away after one use, few have survived.  Look for those with particular Halloween symbols, such as a little girl masquerading as a witch complete with cone-shaped hat, those with advertising logos or greetings for the season."

In the 1950s many of the embossed wall decorations were made in Japan, but there was a growing abundance of American made Halloween party invitations, table decorations, and related paper products.

The number of children's books centered on the Halloween theme increased substantially in the 1960s.  Softcover booklets like Clifford's Halloween by Norman Bridwell were readily found in supermarkets, discount stores, drugs stores, and other retail outlets.

For the first time in any significant amount, Halloween was welcomed into the commercial aspect of living during the sixties generation.  Coca Cola made very effective use of the seasonal theme in their magazine advertisements although not with the frequency of their powerful Christmas messages.  Additionally there were cardboard advertising displays from Hallmark greeting cards haunted house and the glow in the dark Heinz Haunted House to a Happy Halloween from the Monsters on behalf of A&W Root Beer.

Peanuts brought a new dimension to the Halloween holiday with tales of Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin on national television in the 1970s.  The resulting paper items from Hallmark became collectible to both fans of the comic characters and those with the holiday in mind.  Linus and Snoopy are featured on Halloween party and gift center pieces, placards, and party invitations.

In book form was Charlie Brown's Pumpkin Carols.  Regular paperback books published in the 1970s with holiday related titles included The Halloween Tree from Bantam, and Halloween Party from Pocket Editions.

The Essential Buyer's Guide to Paper Collectibles concludes, "in some ways Halloween leads the way in terms of paper items produced which are collectible.  Consider paper cups, paper plates, paper tablecloths, streamers and wall decorations.  Material in original packing from the local dime store or supermarket is especially prized."

The fascination with things of Halloween continues to grow.  According to recent figures from the Hallmark Company one in four adults now dress up for the holiday, and more than half of the population decorates for the special occasion.

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