(NewsNation) — Orange pumpkins might be what most people associate with the holiday — but that’s not the only color you should be looking out for this Halloween.
A certain colored basket used for trick-or-treating could signal someone participating has a food allergy or a differently-shaded pumpkin put out on the porch could be meant to raise awareness for a cause.
These are some colors you might see this year:
Teal
People are setting out a teal-painted pumpkin or plastic bucket on Halloween to show they are giving out allergen-free treats or non-food items.
“A reaction can be as bad as life-threatening anaphylaxis,” Food Allergy Research and Education said. “This means that some kids and their families don’t feel comfortable trick-or-treating, because the risk of being exposed to an allergen is just too high.”
Becky Basalone, the director of a local Tennessee food allergy support group, came up with the idea in 2012.
It has since grown to a program with participating locations around the country. People can add their address to the Food Allergy Research and Education’s Teal Pumpkin Project Map, so families can look up where to get allergy-free goodies before they trick-or-treat. Also on FARE’s website are free printable signs.
CVS, which is partnering with the organization for the third year in a row, suggests glow-in-the-dark items, art supplies and tiny toys as treats that can be used in lieu of candy.
Purple
To raise awareness about epilepsy, as well as raise funds for those in the community, people use purple pumpkins.
Ron Lamontagne started the Purple Pumpkin Project thinking that people with the brightly colored gourd could tell others about epilepsy when they were asked about it.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, shortly after Lamontagne started the project’s Facebook page, likes poured in, and decorating events started popping up in communities. These days, local foundation affiliates and other organizations join in the project as well.
Blue
Blue buckets were touted on social media as a way to show an autistic child or young adult might not be able to partake in “traditional” aspects of trick-or-treating, such as saying the phrase itself, but still wanting to participate in the activity.
However, the National Autism Association said in a 2020 blog post that “some strongly disagree with the practice, citing that it sets our kids apart and could even make them a target for abuse.”
Kaelynn Partlow, an autism advocate, therapist and professional speaker, said in 2019 that the community is asking people to skip the then-trending idea of a blue bucket.
“It’s easy… Don’t be a jerk and demand that children speak… Some can’t. Just give them candy!” Partlow wrote in 2019. “Some kids at your door will be struggling but want to participate, including them is so easy.”
The National Autism Association clarified to Axios this month that it no longer encourages blue buckets.
“It’s truly case-by-case for each family and individual,” the foundation’s co-founder, Lori McIlwain told the news outlet. “Overall, we would encourage anyone opening their door for trick-or-treaters to be universally accepting of those with autism and any varying motor and speech abilities they may have.”
