What is the Teal Pumpkin Project?
Updated 9/2020
Halloween 2020 is the 7th year that FARE has been promoting the Teal Pumpkin Project.
The concept is pretty simple.
If you have allergy friendly goodies for trick-or-treaters just put a Teal Pumpkin on your front porch to alert trick or treaters (or parents of trick or treaters) that you have NON-FOOD trick or treat options.
Halloween 2020 looks different with social distancing guidelines
And while Halloween looks different this year, you better bet I'm still participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project.
Instead of handing out non-food Halloween treats by hand, I'm going to be setting my treats up in my driveway for trick or treaters to safely pick up.
You can set up a table of treat bags for trick or treaters, filling party favor bags with non-food or allergy-friendly treats.
I've also seen some creative ways to send treats to a trick or treater using a tube made of PVC Pipe.
However you are handing out your allergy friendly treats, thank you for helping children with allergies be able to safely participate in Halloween!
Why Teal?
Teal is the allergy awareness ribbon color, and has come to be a symbol in our community to show support for those with food allergies (much like Pink for breast cancer awareness.)
Not only do I have celiac disease, but the past year my toddler has developed a sensitivity to dairy.
This Halloween I am literally going to have to take candy from a baby! (and if you have a kid, you know that is actually a very daunting task.)
My now teen-aged sister has a peanut allergy. I remember when she was a little kid always having to sort through her candy after trick-or-treating to make sure that she didn't accidentally ingest what would have been a lethal candy bar.
So for my sister, my daughter, and thousands of children with allergies and their parents, please join the Teal Pumpkin Project!
Put a teal pumpkin in from of your home and have some non-food and allergy friendly items available for trick-or-treaters.
This year, FARE isn't doing the Teal Pumpkin Map because of social distancing guidelines, so we aren't able to add our home to the interactive map if e are handing out allergy-friendly treats.
Plan to add your home to the map in 2021!
Where do you get a Teal Pumpkin?
My kids and I painted some pumpkin cut outs a few years ago. I look forward to pulling them out every year!
Painting them together created fun Halloween memories that I still cherish.
Because they are flat wood cut-outs they will take up much less storage space than a plastic teal pumpkin.
We got a monogrammed pumpkin for our door (I painted it with cream paint, then used a crackle I had leftover from painting some photography backdrops, and then painted it with teal paint.) and a pumpkin with an allergy awareness ribbon inside that I am going to put out by our sidewalk so that it is easier for allergy trick-or-treaters to locate us from afar.
We also painted a pumpkin teal with the leftover teal paint we had.
Over the past few years Michaels and Target have had lots of ready made Teal Pumpkins you can purchase. Check out what your local store has!
I've also found some great Teal Pumpkin gear, and signs on Amazon.
Why do you need NON-Food Treats for Halloween?
Kids have allergies to more than just the top-8 allergens. Just because a kids has more obscure allergies, they shouldn't be left out.
What about kids with diabetes?
The only way to be able to have something everyone can enjoy is to have non-food treats for Halloween.
We have some friends whose kids could only eat 5 ingredients for awhile because of a severe reaction to fructans.
There were literally no store-bought foods they could eat!
Because there are kids who have a large spectrum of allergies it is important to have non-food treats.
Getting non-food treats really isn't any harder than buying candy for trick-or-treaters.
There are lots of good options!
I've also found non-food treats to be much less expensive than big bags of my favorite chocolate candies.
Easy Non-Food Trick Or Treat Ideas:
- Glow sticks
- Plastic bat and/or spider rings
- Paddle balls
- Pencils
- Colored pencils
- Smelly pencils or markers
- Stamps
- Erasers
- Stickers
- Temporary tattoos
- Glow in the dark stars or stickers
- Bouncy balls
- Slime party favors
- Flashing LED rings
- Balloons
- Small toys
- Rubber ducks
- Slap bracelets
Where to buy non-food trick or treat goodies for Halloween?
- Amazon (gets points for being easy. Gotta love prime shipping!)
- $1-$5 spot at Target
- Dollar Tree (or your local Everything is Only One Dollar store)
- Party City (look at favors)
- The party aisle at Walmart or Target
- Michaels or Hobby Lobby
Amazon is the easiest way to get everything you need while you are still drinking your coffee in your pj's.
There are lots of collections of non-food treats for great prices!
I created an influencer page full of non-food trick or treat goodies for Halloween.
What are allergy-friendly treats for Halloween?
The focus of the Teal Pumpkin Project is to have non-food treats for trick-or-treaters BUT I still like to have some allergy friendly treats on hand.
That being said, I know for me candy and treats was a highlight of Halloween.
If you have access to some top-8-free goodies that you can hand out in addition to non-food-treats you will be a hero!
[Disclaimer: Enjoy Life Foods sent me some of my favorite goodies to give to trick or treaters, and share with you and are sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own. I am a big fan of Enjoy Life Foods and have been long before I started working with them!]
We love handing out Enjoy Life's Mini Cookies and Baking Chocolate Snack Packs.
Just like all of Enjoy Life Food's products they are free of the top 8 allergens (milk, wheat, soy, nuts, peanuts, etc) AND sesame and sulfites.
This year, Enjoy Life's Halloween Mini's have fun spooky characters on each individually-wrapped mini, which is even more fun!
I always stock up on Enjoy Life Food's Halloween Chocolate Mini's.
The Ricemilk Crunch bar reminds me of one of my favorite candy bars from when I went trick-or-treating as a kid.
My kids also love YumEarth lollipops and gummies. They have some great allergy friendly options.
Another of our favorites is Free2B Sun Cups. They usually sell a Halloween pack online.
One of my friends, Megan from Allergy Awesomeness, recently wrote a list of Top 8 Free Candy that her kids can eat.
Her son has over 30 food allergies! I figure if these are candies that her kids can eat, maybe some other kids can enjoy them too.
Teal Pumpkin Allergy Friendly Trick or Treat Prizes and Candy
Non-Food Prizes for Teal Pumpkin Project
If you put a Teal Pumpkin in your yard, it is really important you have non-food treats for trick or treaters. There are so many different food allergies, just having top-8-allergen-free candy may still exclude some trick-or-treating kids. The point of Halloween is to have fun, and be safe! So stock up now, so you have some food-free halloween prizes for the teal pumpkin project.
Teal Pumpkin Trick or Treat Prize Bundle
Nothing is easier than adding this pack of all kinds of halloween prizes to your amazon shopping cart. It has 120 pieces, so depending on your neighborhood this may be all you need to pass out on Halloween. Get your house Teal Pumpkin Project ready, so kids with food allergies, or diabetes can safely trick or treat and have fun!
JOYIN 120 Pieces Halloween Toys Assortment for Halloween Party Favors, School Classroom Rewards, Trick or Treating, Halloween Miniatures, Halloween Prizes
Halloween Prizes for Teal Pumpkin Project
Another mega halloween pack perfect for teal pumpkin project halloween trick or treaters This pack has 156 prizes, so you can get everything you need in one purchase on Amazon. I just love the Halloween Ducks and the halloween glitter tattoos!
156 Piece Mega Halloween Toy Novelty Assortment; 12 Halloween Ducks, 12 Halloween Pencils, 12 Halloween Sticker Sheets; 48 Halloween Erasers; 72 Halloween Glitter Tattoos!!
Glow Sticks
What kid doesn't love glow sticks? I've talked to several people who say they get glow-sticks and candy to pass out on Halloween, and they always run out of glow-sticks first! Glow sticks make a great teal pumpkin prize for trick or treaters.
Glow Sticks Bulk Party Supplies - Glow in The Dark Fun Party Pack wit; Glowsticks and Connectors for Bracelets and Necklaces for Kids and Adults
Slap Bracelets
My kids love slap bracelets. They are a fun prize for school, and for handing out as a non-food treat for teal pumpkin trick or treaters.
50 pack of slap bracelets on Amazon
Spider & Bat Rings
Spider rings are a classic food-allergy-friendly non-food teal pumpkin trick or treat prize.
150 Pieces Halloween Spider Ring Skull Bat Ring Spider Party Favors Fake Plastic Spider Ring for Halloween Decoration
Paddleball & Stamps
My kids love getting little stamps as non-food prizes when trick or treating. The paddles balls are really fun to play with, too.
Happy Smile Face Party Favors | Stampers, Paddle Balls, Glow in the Dark Superballs, Punching Ball | 48 Pack
Scented Pencils
These are a hot item at my kids' schools! All the kids love them. If you pass these smencils out as a teal pumpkin trick or treat prize, you'll be a hot house on the block!
Scentco Colored Smencils - Gourmet Scented Coloring Pencils, 10 Count
Halloween Pencils
Pencils always make a great teal pumpkin trick or treat prize, they make doing homework more fun.
DesignWay Halloween Pencil, 48-Pack
Halloween Erasers
Halloween Erasers are really cute, and make a fun teal pumpkin food-free trick or treat prize.
Halloween Party Favors - 100-Pack Mini Eraser for Kids, Trick-or-Treat, Carnival Prizes, Classroom Rewards, Goodie Bags, Giveaways, 8 Assorted Designs, 1.3 x 1.1 x 0.5 Inches
Halloween Pencils, Erasers, and Sharpeners
Prizes that will actually used, instead of ending up in the trash on November 2nd. My kids love getting fun pencils as teal pumpkin prizes!
Halloween Wood Pencils Set, 30 Halloween Pencils, 30 Halloween Erasers, 10 Pencil Sharpeners, for Kids, Teachers, Schools, Classroom Supplies
Jack O Lantern Erasers
Pumpkin erasers are a classic Teal Pumpkin non-food trick or treat prize. I love that these have different faces, and one package has 144!
144 ~ Halloween Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern Mini Erasers ~ Approx. ¾ inch
Halloween Stickers
My kids love getting stickers. Bonus, any leftovers can be donated to the school to use as classroom prizes.
JOYIN 500 Pieces Halloween Foam Craft Stickers Assortment Halloween Scrapbook Stickers Self Adhesive Shapes for Halloween Craft Supplies, Halloween Novelty and Halloween Party Favors
SuperHero Temporary Tattoos
My kids love getting temporary tattoos. These superheroes would make a great addition to your teal pumpkin trick-or-treat prizes.
Super Hero Party Supplies Set -- 150 Temporary Tattoos Featuring Marvel Avengers, Spiderman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Bonus Avengers Stickers
Unicorn Temporary Tattoos
My girls are going to be all over these! Unicorns are super popular with ids right now, so these unicorn tattoos are sure to be a hit as Teal Pumpkin trick-or-treat prizes!
Hraindrop 350PCS Unicorn Temporary Tattoos for Kids Birthday Party, Girls Party Favors, Unicorn Party Supplies Party Favors(25Sheets)
Dinosaur Temporary Tattoos
These tattoos are so cute! My daughter loves dinos, so I'm sure she'll take her pick before we add these to our goodies to pass out on Halloween.
Temporary Tattoos for Kids Boys Girls, 150+ Pcs(26 Sheets) Waterproof Tattoo Stickers for Dinosaur Theme Birthday Party Favors
Emoji Temporary Tattos
You can't go wrong with emoji temporary tattoos. They make a great prize for trick or treaters, with food allergies or without.
Emoji Temporary Tattoo(160pcs 2inch),Konsait Funny Emoji tattoos Body Stickers for Kids Children Adults for Emoji Party Favors Supplies with Poop Kissing Heart Sunglasses Smirk Relaxed Smile Emoticon
Slime
Party favor slime makes a great teal pumpkin prize for trick or treaters! I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't like playing with slime.
Kicko Mini Putty with Glitter - 48 Pack Assorted Neon Color Sludge - Educational Fidget Toy Ideal for Relaxation and Sensory Stimulation, Event Prizes, Goody Bags, Activity Set, Kids, Boys and Girls
Glow-in-the-dark Bouncy Balls
Not only are bouncy balls fun to play with, these ones glow in the dark making them perfect to pass out to trick or treaters as a teal pumpkin prize.
Totem World 144 Glow in The Dark Bouncy Balls - 25mm Neon Bounce Balls - Bulk Pack for Kids Birthday Party Favor Supplies, Easter Eggs, Stocking Stuffer
Glowing Halloween Bouncy Balls
Perfect for passing out to trick or treaters, these glow in the dark bouncy balls have fun halloween designs.
Halloween Theme designs Bouncing Balls - Glow in The Dark Bouncy Party Favors Supplies for Kids, Trick or Treating Goodie - 72 pcs
Punch Balloons
My kids love punch balloons as party favors, so I think they would be a fun prize to pass out to trick or treaters on Halloween.
Prextex 36 Punch Balloons in 6 Assorted Colors - 18 Inch Strong Punching Ball Balloons for Indoor or Outdoor Fun or Party Favor
Allergy-Friendly Candy and Treats for Trick-Or-Treaters with Food Allergies
I don't want to overlook the importance of having non-food prizes for trick or treaters, I think it is extra special to have some safe candy for trick or treaters with food allergies. Of course, you can't cover all food allergies, but I like to have a few top-8-allergen-free candies for teal pumpkin trick or treaters. When a kid with allergies stops by, I give them a few handfuls because I know it may be the only candy that is safe for them to eat that they'll bring home that night,.
Free2b Foods Dark Chocolate Sun Cups
SunCups made by Free2B are free from the Top 12 Allergens! Many trick-or treaters with food allergies can enjoy them.
Enjoy Life Mini Cookies
One of my kids favorites! Enjoy Life's Mini Cookies come in individual bags , perfect for passing out to trick or treaters with food allergies.
Enjoy Life Crunchy Mini Cookies, Soy free, Nut free, Gluten free, Dairy free, Non GMO, Vegan, Chocolate Chip, 1 Ounce Packs (Pack of 36)
Enjoy Life Halloweeen Chcolate Minis
I don't oly buy these to give to food-allergy-trick-or-treaters, but I also save some to trade with my dairy-intolerant preschooler. She gives me the chocolate candy she can't eat in exchange for her favorite Ricemilk Crunch Halloween Chocolate Minis! (And the other flavors too, those are just our favorite! This bag has the Ricemilk, Ricemilk Crunch, and Dark Chocolate Minis)
Enjoy Life Halloween Chocolate Candy Minis Variety Pack, Soy free, Nut free, Gluten free, Dairy free, Non GMO, 6.3 Ounce, 4 Count
YumEarth Candy Corn and Gummy Snacks
We love YumEarth's treats! They are allergy-friendly, and their candy-corn is gluten free!
COMBO PACK - Organic Candy Corn AND Organic Gummy Fruits - 24 Snack Packs Each - YUMEARTH - Halloween - Limited Edition - Gluten Free - No Nuts - USDA Organic
YumEarth Organic Lollipops
YumEarth's Lollipops are a great food-allergy-friendly treat for trick or treaters!
, Assorted Flavors, 5 Pound Bag
Surf Sweets Organic Fruit Snacks by Wholesome
We love Surf Sweets! They are well known for creating yummy, allergy friendly treats. How fun are these spooky shape fruit snacks?
Surf Sweets Organic Fruit Snacks by Wholesome - Halloween Trick or Treat Candy Bags, 20-0.5 Ounce (Pack of 3) with Spooky Shapes in Cherry, Lemon, Orange and Strawberry Flavors - Gluten-Free, Non-GMO
Wholesome Lollipop Halloween Candy Treat
Wholesome also makes fun lollipops for Halloween. Whether you hand these out to trick or treaters with food allergies, or you keep them for yourself, I won't judge.
Wholesome Lollipop Halloween Candy Treats - USDA Organic, Naturally Flavored Ghosts &; Skulls in Watermelon and Orange Flavors, 7.4 Ounce Bag (Pack of 3) - Non-GMO, Gluten, Peanut and Tree Nut Free