Halloween Boo Basket Podcast Episode

By Charlene DeLoach, Chief Play Officer, Playroom Chronicles

Boo basket controversy — Image Credit: Playroom Chronicles/AI Generatred from AI

 A quick note: This content was created in partnership with one or more of the brands featured. I may have been paid, received products, or both. Paid or not, I’m still going to tell you what I think because none of us needs another toy our kids won’t play with.

Looking for Halloween boo basket ideas that don’t leave you with a house full of tiny plastic toys by November 1?

I’m not anti-boo basket. In fact, I’ve been doing my own version of them for years. Yet, I am ready to rethink the way we fill them.

Somewhere along the way, boo baskets became another reason to buy a pile of little Halloween trinkets: spider rings, pencils, erasers, stickers, plastic toys and all those things that seem fun when you’re standing in the store…and somehow become clutter almost immediately after they come home.

So in this episode of the Playroom Chronicles Podcast, I’m sharing a different approach to Halloween boo baskets.

How Do You Make a Boo Basket That Encourages Play?

Here’s the simple idea behind this episode: A play-focused boo basket starts with one “hero toy” your child will actually use, then adds a few “sidekicks” that extend the play instead of simply adding more stuff.

Instead of starting with the question, “What can I put in this basket?” start with:

“What does my child actually love to play with?”

For example, STEM toys, dolls, building sets, games, crafts? Then choose one hero toy in that category that can inspire real, repeat play. If you want to add a few extras, make those items sidekicks—things that support the hero toy, extend the play or help create an experience around it. It’s a simple shift, but it can completely change the way you think about boo baskets.

5 Toys Featured in This Halloween Boo Basket Episode

best toys for a boo basket in 2026 are Motion Sensing Stem Spider from KiwiCo, National Geographic Creepy Rock Creatures from Blue Marble, Our Generation Halloween Doll from Maison Battat, Horrified Game from Ravensburger, Halloween Haunted House Magnet Tiles from Picasso Tiles — Image Credit: Playroom Chronicles. With product images by the brands listed below

To show you what the hero toy + sidekicks approach can look like, I created five different boo baskets around five featured toys:

PicassoTiles: Haunted House STEM Set
Ravensburger: Horrified Game
KiwiCo: Motion-Sensing Spider
National Geographic by Blue Marble: Creepy Creatures Rock Painting Kit
Our Generation by Maison Battat: Halloween Collectible Doll

What Makes These Boo Basket Ideas Different?

For each of the five toys, I’m thinking beyond the moment your child receives the basket.

In the episode, I’ll show you the “sidekicks” I chose for each hero toy, how those additions extend the play and why I think each toy has value beyond Halloween night. Plus some boo basket themes, because the goal isn’t to create the biggest boo basket or cram it with as many things as possible.

It’s to make Halloween feel special without adding a bunch of stuff your kids won’t care about a week later.