It’s that time of the year…Halloween!

One of the great things about Halloween is all the goodies you can get (even if you don’t hand any out) and since this is a vintage blog I thought we could browse some of the vintage ads of all the yummy candies that would have landed in kids bags during the 1940s and 1950s.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

NOTE: If you click on any of the items featured below and they are not available, don’t fret! Hit the search button and see what else is on the websites. There are 1000’s and 1000’s of items being listed daily.

Vintage Halloween Candy Ads-1940s and 1950s

First up-WOWE-E. 1940s vintage ad for the chewing gum whistle.

I have never heard of this candy before, but the fact that it whistles fills my heart with joy.

1940s vintage ad for Wowee Halloween Whistles - vintage halloween candy ad. — Source: Flickr-Val

1952 Brach’s Candy and chocolate ad featuring square dancers and trick or treaters in halloween costumes.

Further Reading: Vi ntage Chocolate Advertising from 1920s-1950s | A Look Back

1950s vintage ad: 1952 Brach's Candy and chocolate ad featuring square dancers and halloween candy vintage halloween

Source: Etsy

Mmmmmm Cracker Jacks. I’m positive you would have been the favorite on the block if you handed this treat out. -1950s vintage ad.

1950s vintage ad for Cracker Jack popcorn featuring kids in halloween costumes trick or treating.

FULL Candy bars! Nothing teeny tiny here. Wow can you imagine the sugar high these kids would have been on after eating multiples of those?

I will take the Butterfinger please…and maybe the Baby Ruth too while we are at it. -1940s vintage ad.

1940s vintage ad for BABY RUTH Butterfinger CURTISS Candy. a Vintage Halloween Advertisement featuring kids in Halloween costumes trick or treating. — Souce: Flickr-Christian Montone

Woolworth’s, your one stop shop for all things Halloween (not just candy). -1940s vintage ad

1940s vintage ad for Woolworth's Halloween costumes and Halloween decor and Halloween candy. — Source: retroist.com

Milky Way Candy Bars are still a favorite of mine today. -1940s vintage ad

Vintage 1940s halloween candy ad for Milky Way Candy Bars featuring a black cat on a trick or treat bag. — Source: Flickr-Val

I have heard of Snickers, and Milky Way but never the “Forever Yours”. Have you?

This ad makes me giggle that a tree is eating a chocolate bar. -1940s vintage ad

Vintage Milky Way and Mars ad from the 1940s featuing a bail of hay eating a chocolate bar. Fun vintage halloween candy ad. — Source: Flickr-Val

Curtiss Treats! Another candy I have not heard of “Saf-T-Pops”. They look really interesting though, don’t you think?

Vintage 1940s Halloween Candy Ad for Curtiss Treats (vintage candy).

I was not a 1950’s child but I remember in the 1980s getting small boxed cereal in my treat bag and loving it! Cereal for dessert?? Yes I will thank you. -1955 vintage ad

1950s vintage ad: kelloggs snack pak cereal halloween ad-1955 featuring kids in Halloween costumes trick or treating. — 1950s Kellogg’s ad – Source: http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/

I was actually craving Dubble Bubble just yesterday, and now after seeing this adorable 1952 ad I really want some. -1950s vintage ad

Vintage 1950s ad for Dubble Bubble gum ad for Halloween candy featuring an illustration of kids in Halloween costumes trick or treating. — Source-Layla Jones

Really cute Halloween party patties advertisement from a Woman’s Day magazine from the 1950s.

1950s Vintage Candy Ad for Halloween Candy for Party Patties.

Source: Etsy

So my friends, if you were able to go out on Halloween what was your favorite treat? What did your home pass out to kids?

Happy Halloween!

FURTHER READING: Collection of Vintage Halloween Blog Posts

Liz 🙂

If you follow my blog then you know that I’m an avid Lindy Hopper and I’m also working on my “Rock & Roll” and “Jiving” for my Rockabilly side. I LOVE to dance so while in my Lindy class last night a blog post hit me…Vintage Dance Instructions!

So gang lets see how some of our predecessors learned how to cut a rug, shall we?

Note: While these instructions say “guys do one things, girls do another” I am a big believer in DANCE ANY ROLE YOU LIKE! So just ignore the “role designation”.

1940s vintage ad for Recca Records featuring illustrations of people dancing different kinds of dances. Like Swing dancing, polka, latin, ballroom.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Note: If an item is no longer for sale after you click on it, don’t worry! Etsy & eBay are updated daily with 1000’s of products. Take a look around and see what you find!

Vintage Dance Instructions

Vintage Advertising & Vintage Dance Books

1920s ad: Nobody wants to be a wallflower do we? So time to take some lessons from the famous “Arthur Murray”

Vintage 1920s Ad for Arthur Murray Dance Studio-Why be a wallflower?!

Here is a wonderful 80 page softcover booklet by Arthur Murray, the King of Ballroom Dancing (as mentioned above).

Detailed instructions of how to present yourself in the ballroom, how to dance the various dances in conversation mode in addition to how to do just about everything correctly at a ballroom or any formal affair.

Dance instructions for the Fox Trot, The Waltz, How to be Graceful, The Samba, Mambo, Lindy and much more great instructional material.

(See inside the book & purchase as of July 20th, 2022 HERE).

1950s Vintage dance instruction book from Arthur Murray featuring a couple dancing on the cover.

Learn how to do the Mambo Box Step from Arthur Murray.

Learn how to do the Mambo Box Step from a 1950s Dance Instruction book from Arthur Murray

Source: Etsy

1930s vintage ad: Being popular and having fun all depend on that dancing, so off you go for more lessons!

1930s dance ad featuring a couple in 1930s evening wear dancing together-Learn to dance! — 1930s Dance Ad

Time to do some Swing Dancing (Lindy Hop), Shag, Trankey Doo, The Big Apple & Solo Jazz moves!

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of The Lindy Hop

1940s ad: It’s Suzy-Q time! We do this move a lot in Lindy Hop Solo Jazz.

1940s vintage dance instruction -Learn how to do the Suzy Q solo jazz move.

Want to learn how to “Collegiate Shag“? Here are some starter points.

Collegiate Shag -Lern how to dance "The Shag" in the 19490s as per these vintage dance instructions. — Source: CollegiateShag.com

Dominion Round and Square Dances | Learn Square Dancing Instructions by Hugh Bryan. Book is from 1951 Canadian Music Sales Corporation Ltd (avail as of Nov 2023 HERE).

1950s Dance Instruction Book: Dominion Round and Square Dances | Learn Square Dancing Instructions by Hugh Bryan

Source: Etsy

1950s dance instruction. Not so much “HOW” to dance but how “NOT to be”…I think.

1950s vintage dance instruction-How not to dance.

As mentioned above I’m also a big fan of the 1950’s and Rockabilly so I’m learning Jive (sort of) and also have taken Rock n Roll classes in the past.

"How to dance the Rock & Roll" vintage dance instruction 1950s. — Thank goodness for this book or I would truly be lost! Source: Etsy- Props & Pieces

I agree about # 4 below. Thinking ruins everything…It really does!

Last BUT not least you cannot mention dance instruction and NOT mention “Fred Astaire”.

The Fred Astaire Dance Book-vintage dance instruction — Source: Etsy-JeanRameyArt

So many shoes! Quick, Quick, Slow……Got it??

I will leave you with this Tillie the Toiler Cartoon. It made me giggle because I’m a tall woman and many of my dances look like Tillie’s 🙂

Further Reading: See more images featuring Tillie the Toiler at “The Stylish Fashions of Vintage Paper Dolls“.

So my lovely readers, did these images get you motivated to go dancing? Take a lesson or two? If you do dance, please share what got you into dancing I love those stories.

FURTHER READING:

Swing Dance & The Big Band Era – Archived blog posts from the Vintage Inn Blog
Ontario Vintage Dance Hall History – Archived blog posts on various dance halls
Vintage Dances (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz 🙂

Category: Vintage Advertising