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St. Louis Has Its Own Halloween Tradition — Making Kids 'Work' For Their Candy

In St. Louis, the phrase "Trick-or-Treat" is taken very, very literally.

See, instead of kids chanting the iconic phrase and receiving candy, St. Louis residents set a challenge for them: tell a joke, and make it funny enough to earn yourself some candy.

Trick or treat, indeed!

Kids put in WORK for Halloween.

Unsplash | Haley Phelps

Not only do they have to come up with a costume idea, they need a whole arsenal of jokes ready for Halloween night. No joke, no candy! That's the St. Louis way.

The whole city does it.

It doesn't matter what part of St. Louis you're in — if you're out on Halloween night, you're telling jokes to get yourself some candy. None of that "Trick or Treat" stuff for the kids of St. Louis!

As you can imagine, the funny part is often in the delivery.

It's less about the content of the joke, and more about watching a kid attempt comedic timing for some candy. Props to this kid for inventing this niche Ohio joke for himself.

I would have laughed, tbh.

There's something so timeless about a kid skipping the entire concept of a joke setup and just going straight for a poop-related punchline. They aim low, and I respect them for that.

Some St. Louis residents had no idea this wasn't the norm.

It must have been wild to discover not everyone across North America expects a joke in return for candy. The most I was ever asked to do was sing a song (I did not sing the song, I left — no candy is worth that humiliation.)

Some kids get political.

My favorite thing about this joke is how timeless it is. I don't care what party you're in — a kid saying this about any President is a guaranteed laugh.

Some kids stick with the classics.

Some people aren't fans, however.

Some St. Louis residents don't love the tradition. I can see it being a difficult task for shy kids — hell, I was a shy kid, and I would have hated it!

Sounds like fun to me!

I can't believe it would be nice enough to sit out on the driveway! As a kid growing up in Canada, snow was often our Halloween companion.

Keep it weird, St. Louis!

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