What the hay is wrong with you people?

[bhskittykatt]

I hate it when they don't have costumes. Hello? That's the whole point! As a teen, I always (1) went in some sort of costume, even if it was just a simple one, and (2) found some little kid to take trick-or-treating so I really had an excuse. I don't know why it took four of us to take one kid trick-or-treating, but by golly, that was our excuse and we're sticking to it!

[maskedpuppy]

...is the title a My Little Pony joke or am I reading too much awesome into that? XD

[Andara Bledin]

Now that you mention it I think I had one too, but alas, I don't remember what they were called then, either

I wonder if you guys are thinking of a magic twisty?

And I tried to tell them "no costume, no candy. This ain't no charity." but their mothers get in a pissy bitch fit when I do that.

We do that and stick to it. If you look like you're straight out of the schoolyard, you don't get candy. You have to have at least something that makes you look like a pop idol if you're going that route.

^-.-^

[spark]

...is the title a My Little Pony joke or am I reading too much awesome into that? XD

Ponies are taking over the internet.

I wonder if you guys are thinking of a magic twisty?

No, the magic twisty is a modern toy, this is something that's been around for like... 40 years.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I wonder if you guys are thinking of a magic twisty?

No, though I seem to remember those being around for a while too - the YouTube video does look very recent, however. The things we had, as Spark said, have been around for many decades (or were around many decades ago) and they were larger...basically they just lay there, but if you rubbed your hand down the back of it over and over (like you might pet a cat) it would move or crawl or something like that. Must have had something to do with static electricity.

[XCashier]

Frankly a large problem is that a number of kids are going trick-or-treating without wearing a costume.

And I tried to tell them "no costume, no candy. This ain't no charity." but their mothers get in a pissy bitch fit when I do that.

I know, it's aggrivating. Kids, you have to do your part before we do ours. Your part is to wear a costume and say "Trick or treat!" Then we do our part and give you candy. If you can't be bothered to do your part, why should we do ours?

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have something to hand out that they'd consider lame, like pencils. The kids with costumes get a piece of candy. The kids with really clever or beautiful costumes that they've clearly worked hard on get two pieces of candy. The kids who show up in ordinary clothes with zero costume effort get a pencil and "No costume, no candy!"

[vikingchyk]

No, the magic twisty is a modern toy, this is something that's been around for like... 40 years.

I had a magic twisty in the early 1970s. They called them something else then.[1]

{somehow that sounds like a setup for a bad joke. Nah, nevermind....}

[1] if I weren't so OLD I might remember what they were called

[Geek King]

From what I remember, we called them Wooly Worms or Catapillers. The only ones I've ever seen were hand made and sold at craft shows. This was 30-ish years back.

[Ironclad Alibi]

[QUOTE=spark;965766No, the magic twisty is a modern toy, this is something that's been around for like... 40 years.[/QUOTE]

I recall the toy in question was a strip of leather (suede?) about 1½-2" wide and 10-15" long, covered with fur (fake fur?), and eyes at one end. It was placed on your arm and as you stroked or petted it, it would crawl up your arm. I searched for it on Google, but had no luck.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

We do that and stick to it. If you look like you're straight out of the schoolyard, you don't get candy. You have to have at least something that makes you look like a pop idol if you're going that route.

^-.-^

1) This is why my 5yo dressed as a Fairy this year, and not Rose Tyler. She wants to be either Rose Tyler or River Song next year("Because they are blond like me, and I wouldn't have to change my hair!"). I am hoping that at 6yo, she'll be able to explain her costume to people, lol.

2) I agree. No Costume, no candy. Exception: the year my apartment complex invited the kids from a local battered woman's shelter. But it was explained to us that they would not be costumed due to circumstance.

[EricKei]

Bronies are taking over the internet.
.

Fixed that for ya

[PepperElf]

http://www.sparkcostumes.com/gallery...s/DSCN1650.JPG

Those are woolly slugs. They're flat little critters, and they'll curl up under your hand if you pet them just right. I make them from scraps and sell them for $1-2 so that kids can have something affordable, since most of the stuff at my booth is $15 and up, and kids don't usually have that much money.

omg cute. and i remember playing with some a long time ago too.

[BlaqueKatt]

Half the people who come by my booth talk about having one of these as a kid! But I have never been able to find anything at all out about the old ones. Do you happen to know what they were called?

I think I still have one made out of dyed sheep skin(leather and wool together), still has the tag, I'll look for it this weekend. IIRC the tag says "leapin' lobster" as it has felt claws and a felt fantail....