What Do The Blue Halloween Buckets Mean?

Between colorful jack-o-lantern themed buckets, large pillowcases, glow in the dark pails, and spooky plastic bags, it’s no doubt that there is a long list of items that can be used for trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

With that being said dear parents, if you see a kid holding a blue bucket, this is what it means.

The blue Halloween bucket is commonly used for collecting candy on Halloween night to bring awareness with kids who have autism.

Since many kids who are autistic are also nonverbal, many of them will not say “trick or trick, smell my feet” before getting one to two pieces of candy dropped in their bucket.

While it might be second nature to wait for a child to say the three magic words before dropping chocolate in their bag, the blue bucket they’re holding brings awareness for kids who have autism and avoids an uncomfortable situation that might make nonverbal kids feel excluded too.

So when you see a blue bucket on Halloween night, don’t wait for them to say “trick or treat” and instead, simply smile and say “Happy Halloween” before dropping in a few pieces of candy in their pail.

Since the color blue is the official color for autism awareness, be on the look out for multiple blue versions of the classic pumpkin bucket.

The Autism Speaks organization even provides free printable signs online that parents can hang on their door a few weeks before the holiday to let the neighborhood know that your home is autism-friendly.

Happy Halloween everyone!