Halloween’s trick-or-treating custom is becoming more about vehicles these days as parents are increasingly prioritizing safety—and Jakks Pacific’s costume division Disguise wants in on the action.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, a trend of “trunk-or-treating” has emerged in the Americas whereby parents drive to local parking lots and hand out candy from their trunks. Kids roam from car to car, filling up on sweets and admiring the decked-out cars. 

Since designing its first trunk-or-treat products in 2021, Disguise’s kit sales have doubled year over year, says director of digital marketing and PR Whitney Hatfield. “Additional licenses are coming in, and the kits are gaining popularity at retail,” she says. “And this year, mass-market retailers are ordering them, which is huge for this part of our business.”  

The company has existing trunk-or-treat licensing deals with PAW Patrol, Sesame Street and PJ Masks for character stickers, banners and trunk backgrounds. These kits cost US$20.  

Disguise is busy building up its 2023 catalogue by renewing deals with Hasbro, Universal and MGA that will add Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Jurassic World and L.O.L. Surprise! to the trunk-or-treat range. 

The costume-maker was inspired to develop these kits after it started to see parents and artists showing off their DIY-accessorized vehicles for Halloween on social media platforms, says Hatfield. And the social trend has really taken off; to date, the trunk-or-treat hashtag has generated more than 64 million views on TikTok. 

“We saw a lot of decorations on social media that were handmade, which is similar to what we saw before we started developing accessible costumes and wheelchair covers,” says Hatfield. “We felt that there were a lot of parents and kids who would love to [have these], but we needed to make a more convenient solution that isn’t as time-consuming [as DIY decorating].” 

Disguise is focused on North and South America with these products because that’s where the trend is gaining popularity the fastest, says Hatfield. But the company also expects the trend to have longevity since it offers a safer, smaller-scale Halloween experience, says Hatfield. Plus it’s starting to involve more than just families.

“Communities see it as an opportunity to get multiple businesses together in one area,” she explains. “You’ll commonly have a mix of teachers, church members, police and fire departments and vendors. It’s an easy and safe way for kids to do the trick-or-treat experience without having to go through the entire neighborhood.”