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If you’ve spent any time on social media around Halloween in recent years, you may have seen a fun, offbeat idea: offering trick-or-treaters potatoes alongside candy.
And to the surprise and delight of the internet, kids often choose the potato.
Potatoes USA has amplified the “Trick-or-Tater” trend since 2022 by featuring the stories of those who celebrate, like Pennsylvania resident Pat Foy — known affectionately by neighbors as the “Potato Man” — who has been handing out spuds to trick-or-treaters for 20 years.
“Trick-or-Tater” Media Coverage Reaches New Heights
The trend has captured so many hearts and minds that The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) weighed in, calling this year’s Halloween “the peak of potato” in a front-page feature.
According to the article, “You’ll find grown-ups from Georgia to California saying they’re buying sacks of spuds — in some cases, as many as 150 pounds of them.”
On Facebook, The Wall Street Journal’s post has over 10,000 likes and 1,700 shares, which is significantly more than they usually receive.
NBC Nightly News also jumped on the bandwagon, calling potatoes the “new star of the spooky season.”
Former NBC News correspondent Kevin Tibbles, when asked what he’s learned from giving out spuds, shared, “Everyone’s got a good sense of humor…when I whip out a potato, everybody’s got a smile on their face.”
Morning Brew, a popular business newsletter with over four million subscribers, featured the trend as its top story on Halloween morning this year.
Potatoes USA has amplified “Trick-or-Tater” through yearly press releases and media outreach. In addition to the Wall Street Journal and NBC, here’s a sampling of this year’s coverage:
- CBS Los Angeles: LA County woman handing out potatoes for Halloween (also picked up on Yahoo)
- Lancaster Online (Lancaster, PA): ‘Candy or potato?’: Lancaster city’s ‘Potato Man’ featured in Wall Street Journal, NBC
- The Economic Times: Trick or Treat? Potatoes over Candies — Here’s why people are handing out spuds this Halloween 2025, and who is the Potato Man?
- CBS in Spokane, WA: Potatoes for trick-or-treaters?
- NBC in Boise, ID: What’s trending: Halloween potatoes, Legoland’s pumpkin patch display and the Mega-Millions jackpot
- CBS in Tyler, TX: Los Angeles woman gives out potatoes instead of candy for Halloween
The press release itself also appeared in 460 media outlets across the country from Tampa, FL, to Portland, OR, and even Honolulu.
Share a Trick-or-Tater Highlight Reel
With all the media and social coverage this year, we put together a short highlight reel bringing the trend to life. Watch it here, and share it with your friends, family, and followers!
Giving Consumers More Creative Reasons to Purchase Potatoes
Potatoes USA leaned heavily into additional ways consumers could enjoy potatoes during Halloween, including the Trick or Tater campaign. Appropriately named ‘Spooky Spuds,’ the content throughout October on social media garnered over two million views on @potatogoodness videos on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The recipes developed by the Culinary team were compiled into one place on PotatoGoodness.com and featured on the homepage. The reaction was notable: the page quickly became the second most-clicked recipe link on the homepage. The recipes included:
- Devilish Potatoes: A playful twist on deviled eggs, the Culinary team took a traditional Easter appetizer and made it a perfect side dish for a Halloween party.
- Franken Fingers: Creepy, crunchy, and surprisingly delicious, these potato fingers are sure to be the life (or afterlife) of the party.
- CharBOOterie Boards: Consumers were encouraged to make spooky boards using potato chips, with inspiration from social influencers. One influencer, @savourygirll, received over 1.3 million views on her board and almost 50,000 interactions, including over 3,400 saves, the best indicator that a viewer wants to try it for themselves.
Did you try Trick-or-Tater this year? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Please send photos to ka***@*********sa.com or post them on social media and tag Potato Goodness on Instagram or Facebook.
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