‘It just feels a bit much’: Boo baskets are the latest Halloween TikTok trend to spark backlash among parents

You’ve picked the perfect pumpkin, nailed your costume, and decked out your porch, but have you put together your “boo basket” yet?

This viral trend—Halloween’s version of Secret Santa—has taken social media by storm over the last few years. At its core, it involves a basket or bucket filled with treats left anonymously on a neighbor’s doorstep, accompanied by a note saying, “You’ve been BOOed!” The recipient then is required to pay it forward by “booing” someone else. If you haven’t received one yourself, chances are you’ve seen them all over your feeds. 

But what started as neighborhood fun has quickly become a social media phenomenon with over 103 million posts on TikTok. Friends are gifting them to each other and girlfriends have been dropping hints to their “boo’s” since the start of the fall season. In one TikTok unboxing video, the poster pulls out something called an “adoptable ghost”, alongside a pair of UGGs, fluffy socks, a body mist and other treats. In another, expensive makeup is nestled amongst candles, a fluffy pink throw and plush bunny, all tied up with matching bows. 

@lexihensler

Boo basket season is here👻🫶🏼

♬ original sound – Lexi Hensler

Parents quickly hopped onto the trend, gifting their children anything from Halloween Mad Libs and mummy Squishables to hot-ticket items like Stanley cups, Uggs, and even iPhones. Some parents see the viral movement as yet another opportunity to show off on social media, and worry that it adds unnecessary social pressure to shell out on plastic junk and expensive treats.

One parent took to Reddit to complain that boo baskets were making Halloween even more extravagant. “There’s already costumes, trick or treating, fall festivals, hay rides, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, state fair…do we really need to add more?” they wrote. “Absolutely no hate if you love doing this for your kids because I know I’m definitely [over the top] in other areas. It just feels a bit much for me.” Americans already spend billions on Halloween, averaging over $100 per person. 

“I personally think we can make moments memorable without buying all the crap that will get thrown away anyway,” another parent wrote. “I’ll stick to my normal traditions and carve pumpkins and trick-or-treat like when I was a kid.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/91219590/it-just-feels-a-bit-much-boo-baskets-are-the-latest-halloween-tiktok-trend-to-spark-backlash-among-parents?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Creato 6mo | 30 ott 2024, 22:40:07


Accedi per aggiungere un commento

Altri post in questo gruppo

Is social media hurting teens’ mental health? It’s complicated

Social media is terrible for teens’ mental health—or is it?

At the same time that

28 apr 2025, 06:10:07 | Fast company - tech
3 quick, easy AI chatbot prompts that can help you do your job better

Fun fact: The saying “work smarter, not harder” is coming up on its 100th birthday. Coined

28 apr 2025, 06:10:06 | Fast company - tech
Is Apple falling behind on hardware?

If you’ve followed Apple for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come across the notion that the company doesn’t rush into adopting cutting-

27 apr 2025, 11:30:07 | Fast company - tech
This free audio enhancer will totally transform your voice memos

Every now and then, you run into a tool that truly wows you.

It’s rare—especially nowadays, when everyone and their cousin is coming out with overhyped AI-centric codswallop tha

26 apr 2025, 12:20:10 | Fast company - tech
Elon Musk’s Trump gamble is costing him bigly

Tesla released its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, its first since the company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, took up residence in the Trump White House and immediately began trying to fire f

26 apr 2025, 12:20:09 | Fast company - tech
Say goodbye to cheap versions of Ozempic and Wegovy

There’s never a dull day in the world of weight-loss medication. This week brought new restrictions on compounded GLP-1 medication, the cheaper, copycat versions of brand-name drugs that tel

26 apr 2025, 12:20:08 | Fast company - tech
Why Apple needs Tim Cook more than ever in the age of Trump

In December 2023, I wrote an article exploring Apple CEO Tim Cook’s most likely successors, because t

26 apr 2025, 10:10:03 | Fast company - tech