Comments on: Trick-or-Treat Anachronism

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:50:04 +0000

I was born in 1958, in Queens NY. In the 60's, we would go t-or-t'ing all over town without parents. They never were with us in my entire Halloween experience, we were always safe. When I watched that scene I was like "huh? why are Don and Betty going with the kids and why isn't someone home to hand out that candy corn?"

By: Leeandra

Leeandra — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:37:13 +0000

Didn't Bobby specifically ASK Don to come trick-or-treating with them in the very beginning of the episode? Perhaps the original plan was for Betty to accompany the children and for Don to stay home, but then he changed his mind to make the children happy. Reasonable enough, and I don't think it would have raised any eyebrows.

Sally and Bobby are only 8 and 6 years old here; I don't think that an adult accompanying children of that age while they're out on the streets after dark would have been completely unheard of at any point in time. (Even if there was less of a panic about child abduction, there was still the very real risk of a kid being distracted, not looking before crossing the street, and being hit by a car–even more likely at night when there's less visibility.) Perhaps most mothers did not accompany their children trick-or-treating in 1963, but some surely did. Most parents of that generation spanked their children, but there were some that did not. There's no real universal in human behavior.

By: Beth

Beth — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:11:56 +0000

Totally agree. I think my mom accompanied my brothers and I till the eldest was about 9-10, then, we were on our own!

I absolutely HATED my mother the year she had the termerity to go on a date and leave us with a horrid babysitter, Mrs. Mitchell.

To add salt to the wound, Mrs. Mitchell made us come in from trick or treating at 8:30 p.m. Gasp! ;O)

By: dirigentin

dirigentin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:05:44 +0000

My dad took my older siblings trick-or-treating well into jr high, especially since an adult tried to steal their candy from them one year. I think we were allowed to go out by ourselves in high school.

By: mel

mel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:10:13 +0000

i was 9 in 1965 – some parents came with, some didn't, sometimes it was one parent while the other stayed home. same as it is now – there isn't a set standard rule for parents and their kids on trick or treating.
This isn't anachronism … I think it's based on the story and the fact that Don and Betty and the family unit are sort of reuniting.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:35:07 +0000

I remember an episode of "Bewitched" a show about an advertising man and his family which takes place in the '60s, anyway on this particular episode, Samantha and Darrin did go trick or treating with Tabatha. I further recall that all the children out that night had adults with them. Me, I'm the same age as baby Gene and I don't remember going with my folks but I do remember my older sisters had to go with me and my younger sister and brother.

By: less of me

less of me — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Me likes the links, esme, don't stop.

I'm just trying to match your funny; I'm kinda competitive. ARRRRR-RR-GGH!
Shiver me timbers or some rot.

Jack back into Matrix when you can!

By: esme

esme — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:33:20 +0000

you are too funny.

I have to give the round to you. ding. ding. ding. you win. I have no snappy come back and I have to be sans computer for a while.

so I'll have to leave you with Nina Simone's Pirate Jenny.

By: less of me

less of me — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:28:40 +0000

A sophisticated eye for truth in art, mon cheri. Fret not mon amour, I have tied enough "scurvy dawgs ta th' yardarm" for the both of us, it is of no concern to me. I will not-so- tenderly school you in the pirately ways of pillagin'. I now fear the low rentrendezvous will beneath us. Perhaps a suite at the MicroSoft Astoria instead? (They make a delicious salad; no walnuts though, the secret is bacon bytes). Until we type again, Je vis d'amour et d'eau fraÃ®che.

By: esme

esme — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:29:53 +0000

log out? vhat es dis ting? (actually, I have been off line… off "playing" online… all day. don't I get some points for good behavior?)

fwiw, one of the "blessings" of the pastafarians is to say "may you be touched by his noodly appendage."

maybe you've never seen that masterpiece of kitsch by designer Niklas Jansson illustrating just this moment.

I have no idea if less of me is male or female, or rather I didn't till I just learned that l-o-m is an androgynous cyber identity who works in Scranton.

I'm, unfortunately, not geek enough… Here. Come sit in the kitchen. I have something to tell you. I have never actually celebrated talk like a pirate day. Okay, I said it. Yes of course it's true I have said a few "arrrrghs" here and there. But… I just loved the Kansas board of education thing. really. that's all it was.

(clutching my pearls and running to my room)