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You may have noticed something different about all of the Halloween decor in your neighborhood this year. More and more people have decided that the normal orange pumpkins simply will not do. Now, these folks are painting up their pumpkins in all sorts of special color schemes. While some may have been done at random, others were strategically painted or colored with a special meaning in mind.

If your neighbors’ pumpkins are painted teal, blue, or purple, this may not be done at random. The shades have meanings that are designed to send a certain message. We had no idea about any of this and we were today years old when we learned. Teal is the color that we seem to come across most.

Photo: flickr/Dan Ruscoe

So what is the meaning there? The Teal Pumpkin Project has actually been in existence for seven years now. This is the pumpkin that people put out to let others know that they are allergen-friendly.

Instead of giving out candies that may sicken a child, they will usually hand out something different. Nonedible treats are often offered at these homes, as your child is likely to receive a small toy of some kind. Additionally, they may provide low-allergen options like dark chocolate sunflower cups, as opposed to Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Photo: Pixabay/Jittherbug

The success of this project has led to the Purple Pumpkin Project. These pumpkins are designed to raise awareness about epilepsy and signal to parents that they will know what to do if a child happens to have a seizure when they stop by. It is also meant to serve as a conversation starter among neighbors about the disorder.

As for dark blue pumpkins, they are meant to indicate that the family inside has an autistic child. Alicia Plumer was the first parent to come up with the idea, painting her pumpkin dark blue back in 2018 and sharing the idea on Facebook. Once her post of the pumpkin ended up going viral, families of autistic children everywhere began to follow suit.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2281645498532193&set=a.233430086687088&type=3&theater

The process of trick or treating may seem more complicated than it was when we were young but these are great advancements. Now, it is even easier for us to find the right houses to go to so that we can maximize the amount of candy that our children take home. After all, the more candy that our little ones end up with, the more that we have to steal. It’s simple mathematics!