25 Halloween Trick-or-Treat Bags: The Goodie Bag Ideas You Need
While Christmas has caroling as the main door-to-door social activity, Halloween has trick-or-treating, and you have to admit that few things can make a kid happier than having their Halloween treat bags filled to the brim with all their favorite candy.
Well, if you’re feeling extra creative this year and want to bring a few smiles on children’s faces, you can go ahead and make some of your own DIY Halloween treat bags that you can serve your guests and trick-or-treaters.
However, while a lot of you may have the decorative skills to make a really nice treat bag, and the cooking skills to fill them up with all manner of goodies, the hardest part of it all is finding the right inspiration to get started from.
Well, that’s why we’re here today, and that’s why you’ve most likely started reading this article, since we will be looking over some of the best Halloween treat bag ideas that you can use this year, and we’ll also be discussing all the goodies that you can fill the bags with.
Here Are Some Great Ideas for Halloween Treat Bags
2021 doesn’t bring a lot of changes to Halloween treat bag designs, or at least not as much as it does Halloween costume choices, since each year has its own flavor.
However, we went ahead and did some research to look for what is trending this year anyway, and the first 10 entries (or at least variations of them) seem to be the most sought after.
1. Halloween Candy Bags – Customized Bags
Everyone likes to have things that are one-of-a-kind, but unfortunately, the only way that is possible is to make your custom gear, and this also includes the Halloween candy bags.
Fortunately, the Internet is filled with tons of ideas that you can go ahead and try for yourself, such as these amazing DIY bags from Romina Ross that she made using nothing more than paper bags and some extra fabric she had laying around.
The bags are decorated using typical Halloween motifs, such as ghosts, pumpkins, and skulls, and you can even take the time to write down your name, or even sow it using fabric so that, in case it gets lost or you misplace it, you can get it back as soon as possible.
As far as design goes, you can go ahead and use whatever visual elements you want, including decorations and colors of your choice, and as far as materials go, you can go ahead and mix things up by using something other than fabric, like paper, cardboard, or leather.
Those of you that are interested in decorating your bags with even more complex drawings and patterns can even go ahead and use vinyl stickers along with a thermal printer, although you should first consult the printer’s documentation to see what materials you can use.
All in all, this is a great Halloween treat bag idea, and pretty much all of the other entries on our list are variations from this one, although each has its own twist.
2. Trick or Treat Bags – Pumpkin Heads
If the candy cane would be considered the symbol of Christmas, then the pumpkin is without a doubt the symbol of Halloween, especially the carved ones, and it seems that they also make for great inspiration when it comes to trick or treat bags.
In fact, the idea of using a pumpkin or a Jack-o-Lantern as a Halloween treat bag is pretty old, but since there are hundreds of ways to carve up a pumpkin and make it unique, all the kids could have a pumpkin bag without being 2 that look anything alike.
Of course, you mustn’t think that you have to use an actual pumpkin in order to create your Halloween treat bag, especially given how they can be really messy and sticky on the inside, so a cleaner alternative would be to make a papercraft or a paper mache pumpkin or Jack-o-Lantern.
Not only is this cleaner to work with, but you can shape the bag in whatever way you want, the inside will not be sticky at all, and as far as decorations go, it’s easier to paint a smile on the side of it than it is to actually carve that smile into a real pumpkin.
Besides, a papercraft or a paper mache pumpkin is much lighter, so you’re child won’t get tired carrying it all night, especially considering how it will be filled with candy later on.
For those of you that want to make pumpkin gift bags to give away, we recommend that you use a small bowl as a mold for the inside of the pumpkin bag and that you try making the walls extra thick so that the bags don’t get crushed while carrying.
If you don’t know where to start when making a Halloween pumpkin bag, just take a look at Rob Salvatore’s design go from there.
3. Halloween Goodie Bag Ideas – Bags with Name Tags
If you’re looking for some Halloween goodie bag ideas for a family with more than just one child, a good place to start is by making custom bags that have the names of your kids written on them, although in a very Halloweeny way, just like how Nathali did in the picture above.
As you can see, the bags themselves are plain and simple made from lightweight white fabric, and the names are written using different font styles that are very big and easy to tell apart, even from a distance, and are accompanied by various generic Halloween decorations.
Of course, writing names on Halloween bags don’t just make them harder to lose or misplace, but if you plan on making these Halloween bags to go, writing down the names will make it easier to know which bag filled with treats goes to which person, especially if you filled them differently.
One advantage about these bags is that if you aren’t very skilled with writing down the names in a very aesthetic way, you could always simply print out the names using vinyl stickers.
Another great thing about labeled treat bags is that they can be easily made for both boys and girls since all you need to do is change the font style, and maybe even the colors used or the decorations added.
All in all, Halloween treat bags are a great idea that you should try out, and even if you don’t want the stylized name tag to be the center focus of the bag’s design, adding the name can still prove to be helpful, even if you do it using much smaller fonts.
4. Halloween Treat Bag Ideas – Ghoulish Bags
A monstrous face has always been one of the best Halloween treat bag ideas, since they are simple to create even at home, and the materials used are most likely things you already have in your house or, if you don’t have them, they’re easy to buy at the closest store.
From a DIY point of view, making the main bag using textile materials is as easy as it comes, since all you need is to start with some square panels, add box corners, and then finish everything by adding a simple top hem to make carrying the bag a lot easier.
As for decorations, just take a look at these designs from Sew4Home and notice how everything is made using simple geometric shapes that you can cut out with a pair of scissors easily.
Boy bags can easily be made to include iconic movie monsters, like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Cursed Mummy, or a werewolf, while girls can be decorated using princesses, cats, fairies, and other magical elements.
You can make these bags to be as big as you want and, as long as the materials are sturdy enough and the bindings can hold the extra weight, you can go ahead and make some really big monster head Halloween bags.
For an added dose of spookiness, we recommend that you use as many glow-in-the-dark elements as possible, especially when making the white of the monster’s eyes, and even their teeth.
5. Halloween Trick or Treat Bags That Also Work as Postcards
If you like decorations that have gimmicks to them, and you want to make some Halloween trick or treat bags that will surely be memorable, we recommend that you try out making a Halloween bag made out of cardboard that can also be used as a postcard, or a party invitation.
For example, take a look at Stampkin1’s design, and notice how they look like postcards or party invitations when they are folded.
Well, one amazing idea to get a party started is to make Halloween-themed invitations made out of cardboard, and then send them out to your friends and family. However, the gimmick is that when they unfold the invitation completely, it will open up and reveal itself to be a Halloween treat bag.
Basically, those that will decide to come trick-or-treating or join your Halloween party will already have an empty treat bag just waiting to be filled that will also act as an invitation.
Sure enough, the folding part will probably be the trickiest part since you may want to have an invitation that is small but a bag that is larger, but there’s nothing a good YouTube paper folding tutorial can’t help with.
Not only is this idea pretty unique, but you can go wild with the design, and since one of the purposes of this trick-or-treat bag is to be an invitation, you can make them all look alike, allowing you to save a lot of time if you’re planning on printing them out in bulk.
6. Halloween Treat Bag Ideas for School – Coloring Bags
Another way to make your Halloween treat bags interactive is to turn them into a mix between a regular Halloween treat bag, and a coloring book.
Just look at Prints by Poppy’s design and notice how they basically made plain white textile bags and drew the Halloween decorations using nothing but the black outlines, allowing the receiver to color the bag however they see fit.
Because of the nature of this bag, one of the goodies that you can include inside (if you’re planning on giving them away) is a box of crayons, or colored markers so that the receiver of the bag can start customizing it right away.
Given its interactive nature, this is one of the best Halloween treat bag ideas for school or kindergarten, especially if you’re a teacher and you plan on making your little ones a very big Halloween surprise.
The only drawback to this particular idea is that you need to be very careful about the fabric and what you’ll be using to color it, since it can all turn into a real colored mess if you wash the bag, or if you get caught outside in the rain with it, so make sure that whatever colors you’re using are waterproof.
7. DIY Halloween Treat Bags – Funny Messages
If writing your name on your Halloween bag seems too corny, another alternative would be to write down pieces of funny texts and quotes, since these are sure to draw a few laughs from onlookers.
As you can see from Bev’s designs, you can go crazy as far as colors and materials are used, just as long as the centerpiece of the bag is a funny quote, a joke, or a pun, and if you have some original material planned out in your head, you can make some of the funniest DIY Halloween treat bags in the neighborhoods.
Those of you that love pop culture references can even sow or print out memes on your Halloween bags, especially since these will be instantly recognizable, especially by younger people.
Alternatively, those of you that like things to be a bit edgier can even go ahead and write poetry, or even have fragments of well-established poems, such as quotes from Edgar Allan Poe, since he seems to be a bookworm’s favorite during Halloween.
8. Small Halloween Treat Bags – Pumpkin Fabric Bag
There’s something about burlap sacks and Halloween that somehow makes the two go very well hand in hand, so using the sack as a material to make several mini Halloween-themed burlap sacks seems only natural.
Just take a look at Willow & Fearne’s design and notice how great the small satchels look, especially with the whole Halloween pumpkin motif, and the best part is that these materials are easy to come by, making this design one of the easiest for small Halloween treat bags.
Coloring the bag is pretty easy, and you can use any food-grade dye to do the job, and as for the designs and drawings, you can make the eyes and mouth of the Jack-o-Lanterns using a good marker or with vinyl stickers.
Another advantage about these sacks is that they actually look cuter when they’re smaller, so if you don’t have the money to spend on a lot of candy to give away, you can get away pretty cheap with these bags that can hold about 4-5 candies in them.
9. Halloween Goodie Bags for Kids – Matching Bags
While Halloween is a holiday where everyone is all spooky and scary, many see it as an excellent time to hold big family gatherings and reunions, and when they do, they usually all dress up while following a certain theme.
Well, since there will be a lot of you dressed up in matching costumes (e.g. the Addams Family), another way to showcase the fact that you are close is to have matching treat bags as well, and this can be a great idea for Halloween goodie bags for kids, especially if you have several of them.
Just look at Jessi Stevens’ bag ideas, as she showcased several sets of matching goodie bags that you can make, ranging from monochromatic designs with complex patterns that are suited for adults, to more whimsical designs that use plenty of vivid colors.
The bags are small, but since they are made of fabric, they resist for a much longer time, so you don’t have to treat them as disposables once Halloween is over.
Besides, you can make good use of them even outside of Halloween, since these mini satchels don’t have and designs that let you know they were made solely for this holiday, so they can be used during everyday activities as well, like holding jewelry, or even as a small coin purse.
10. Halloween Favor Bags – Brown Paper Bags
When making decorations, you don’t have to go all out in terms of the designs’ complexity, or the colors and materials that you use, since most of the time the best results can be achieved with minimum effort.
For example, Jupiter HG showcases how you can make some very good-looking Halloween favor bags just by using brown paper bags that you can get very cheap from a grocery store, and all they did was draw and write the designs and text by hand.
While not as visually appealing s some of our other entries, these Halloween favor bags are a great last-minute idea, especially if you have lots of them to make and little time to invest in each of them, such as for a classroom or a very large party.
Lastly, this particular idea is arguably the most cost-efficient of them all, so those of you that are on a tight budget can easily make tens of these while spending less than 5 dollars.
Besides, if you also happen to be skilled with drawing by hand, or if you know someone that can do it for you, you can still manage to make these brown paper favor bags look very appealing, especially for kids that love drawings of monsters and freaks.
More Great Ideas for Halloween Treat Bags
The entries we’ve presented so far are the most popular ones of 2021, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t try some of the things that were popular in the past as well.
That being said, the following 15 entries consist of both Halloween treat bags, as well as some Halloween-themed snacks that you can place inside the bags, just in case you have no idea what to fill them with either.
11. Halloween Treat Bags as Stuffed Cones
Check out this adorable Halloween treat cone from HGTV. Fill it up with tons of candies or other goodies for the kids to enjoy. It’s all about the presentation when going the extra step for festivity.
12. Spooky Eye Pie Halloween Party Treat
The Kurtz Corner made these adorable, Halloween-themed pies and we find them perfect as a party favor for your holiday guests. Wrap them up in a charming way and send them off!
13. Zip Block Bat Halloween Treat Bag
Here’s another great idea from HGTV. You can easily take a zip-block bag and top it with something makeshift to cover and hand out your Halloween treats in!
14. Mummy Cookies Halloween Treats
These mummy cookies from The Krutz Corner are also great treats to fill up a bag with a send guests or the kiddos off with. And all you need to make these are some Milano cookies!
15. Burlap Trick or Treat Bags
Crafts Unleashed grabbed some burlap and paint to create these polka-dotted cuties. Hop on over to the site and learn how to create them from scratch.
16. Witch Hat Halloween Treats
How about crafting up some quick witches’ hats as your Halloween party favor? It’s quick, it’s cut and Cincy Shopper has the recipe!
17. Witches’ Brooms as Cute Halloween Candy Bags
And what should you stuff the hats above inside to hand out to your guests or neighborhood kids? These witches’ broom bags, of course! Find out how to make them at Evermine Occasions.
18. Pumpkin Rice Balls Halloween Treats
These are a unique treat that your guests will rave over! Check out the recipe for these pumpkin rice balls over at Apron Strings.
29. Googly Eyes Trick or Treat Bags
Live Craft Love made these googly eye treat bags that are more than perfect for handing out a “thank you” treat for your guests after coming to your party.
20. Candy Corn Crunch Halloween Treats
Fill the cone above with this scrumptious looking recipe for Candy Corn Crunch from This Mama Loves. It’s such a festive fun treat for everyone to share!
21. Chevron Ruffled Halloween Treat Bags
A Pumpkin and A Princess took two trendy styles – chevron and ruffles – and combined them to make such an adorable way to serve up your treats!
22. Peanut Butter Snickers Cheesecakes Halloween Treats
Here’s another combination we’re loving Macaroni and Cheesecake took a favorite Halloween candy – Snicker – and a classic dessert – cheesecake – and made an entirely new treat for indulge in throughout the holiday.
23. Halloween Treat Bags with Fun Characters
Create some Halloween treat bags with some Halloween characters in mind – Frankenstein, ghosts and even pumpkins with this idea from A Night Owl.
24. Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Halloween Treats
Sally’s Baking Addiction shows us how to make these scrumptious pumpkin pie rice krispies. These are just another great treat to fill a homemade baggy with to send off with friends and family.
25. Candy Corn Halloween Treat Bags
How can you not be charmed by these candy corn bags from The Casual Craftlete. We’re in love with the versatility and ease of making them!
Best Halloween Treat Bags – Closing Thoughts
Our extensive list of 25 Halloween trick-or-treat bag ideas has come to an end, and we hope that we’ve provided you with enough inspiration to make your own Halloween treat bags as unique and memorable as possible.
We tried including all kinds of designs in our lists, from bags that are very easy to create with very few materials, to design that admittedly need a bit of extra time invested into them, but look amazing in the end.
However, don’t forget that the entries on our list should be treated merely as suggestions and that you can go ahead and design the treat bags however you please and fill them up with whatever you want.
All in all, we hope that this article proved to be informative enough for you and that we’ve given you some great pointers as to where you can start making your Halloween treat bags.
For more great articles on how you can use your DIY skills to make an even spookier Halloween, go ahead and browse our website, since we’ve written plenty of articles on the matter.
Not only that, if you have some suggestions on how we can expand this list, leave your entries in the comments section below, and we’ll add your ideas as soon as possible.
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