31 Nights of Halloween - Night 30: Bogie Books!

Halloween dates back centuries, with adults being the primary celebrants for most of that time. But it wasn't much like the Halloween we know now. If we limit the discussion to when Halloween was becoming recognizable as what we celebrate today in the US, around the late 19th century, then it's clear it was widely celebrated by adults then, too. By the time of Dennison's Bogie Books, starting in 1912, the holiday was much like what we think of, except the adult celebrations were more robust and involved. It gradually became more kid-oriented through the decades of the 20th century. When I was a kid in the '70s, it was very kid-oriented, but I still knew of adult Halloween parties being fairly common. That faded so that by the '90s, I rarely knew of adults celebrating beyond the big haunted house attractions.

What were the Dennison Bogie Books? Dennison was a company that produced Halloween decorations and party favors. The Bogie Books were combinations of catalogs and party planners, providing tips and tricks and ideas for treats. From 1912 until sometime deep into the 1930s, the Bogie Books were an annual treat, their striking - some might say lurid - covers evoking an atmosphere of Halloween mystery and fun. The wares they offered for sale are hauntingly familiar, though they seem old fashioned today: black cats, witches on broomsticks, owls, the Man-in-the Moon, and, of course, jack-o'-lanterns. Yet we still see those images today, often now in cheerful colors and with friendly faces.

From the 1912 Bogie Book.

I'm intrigued by the notion of Halloween decorating of a century now long dust, yet still looking like it could be a living room of today...almost.

From the 1915 Bogie Book.

A bit more alien to us may be the party games.

From the 1917 Bogie Book.

Costumes, of course, were much more DIY. The witch is an old familiar fiend, but the rest can seem odd to us now.

Er...Vegetable Man?
From the 1915 Bogie Book.

Most spectacular of all were the covers: fun, a bit scary, with, perhaps, a dash of the sinister.

Vintage Bogie Books can dreadfully hard to find, and shockingly expensive when they are found. In recent years, they have been reprinted, and can be found with just a bit of digging on the usual sites like Amazon and eBay (though for much more that 5 cents, supernaturally). But for a glimpse back beyond the grave (though in a different direction than usual), the Bogie Books may inject a bit of frightful fun into your next hallowed e'en.