Poll: Did You Get Goody Bags When You Were Little?

Never received goody bags.
Grew up in the Midwest.
Mid 40s.
In my mind, Goody bags seemed to start around the same time "everyone" gets a medal/trophy.

1. No- unless it was at a special place where it was part of the party. To be honest, kids just didn't go to that many parties when I was a kid. You maybe got one party growing up. Mine was when I was 5 at McDonalds. The rest of the time was family parties.
2. North Carolina.

How old are you? That makes a difference.
I'm 46, kid of the seventies, teen of the eighties.
Party favors were common, but that was usually a single thing, like a piece of candy or a VERY small toy.
I first started noticing goody bags in the eighties, when my cousin was a little girl. That's also when I noticed more kids having parties at places like roller rinks and Chuck E Cheese.
I lived all over, Midwest, South then California.
ETA: ooh I almost forgot, there were PRIZES at parties! If there were games there were usually prizes, but again, they were small (but fun if you happened to be a winner!)

People had birthday parties? And it wasn't their cousin? Somebody got presents?

Nope. I'm 45, grew up in Eastern PA, and this was not part of my childhood. Neither was gifts for teachers at every holiday and juncture. Nor medals for just showing up (as Suz said).

and my husband grew up outside of Boston and didn't get them there either.

Despise goody bags. The birthday child should be honored, and children should have the opportunity to honor someone without expecting anything in return.

Nope. I grew up in the south, not that far from where I am now.

I think a more important factor than WHERE you grew up is WHEN you grew up. How old are you? I am 45.

---
After reading some of the other responses, I was reminded that we did have small prizes for whoever won the games that were played. And there were actual winners (not "everyone wins") and they were not goodie bags. They were a tablet and a pencil or something. You might have gotten a balloon to take home. Oh.. and the silly cardboard paper hat with the elastic string that always broke and popped you in the face. We got those!

The games were things like pin the tail on the donkey, egg toss, or pass the lifesaver (on toothpicks stuck in the mouth).
And parties were a big deal (rarity, not an expected thing every year). Meaning, it was unusual to get to invite friends to a birthday party, and you only invited who you wanted...not the whole class. MOST birthdays were just family at home. And you maybe got one or two small gifts... it wasn't Christmas in August (or whenever your birthday is).

Also, most birthday parties were for the slightly older set than what I see today. Today, the parties start when the kids have their first birthday and get bigger and bigger until they hid teen/preteen, and then they taper off. Back in the day, you didn't have a party until the kid was old enough to have actual friends (not playmates from daycare or mom's friend's kids)... which was like 6 (first grade). Around middle school, it became the thing to have a sleepover party. That was the big deal--the sleep over. You slept out in the playhouse in the back yard, or the living room in sleeping bags or whatever. And everyone went home before lunch the next morning.

I'm 46 and live in the midwest. I do not remember ever getting goodie bags. I remember pinatas sometimes, and games with a winner who would get a prize. Not everyone got a prize, because back then not everyone got something just because. I do think there were party favors at times, like the little horns or noisemakers, but that's about it.

1. Never received even one goody bag.
2. SoCalif, born in 1960.

Only the birthday kid received presents. We all got home made cake and ice cream though. Lots of Pin the Tail on the donkey and water balloon fights and sleep overs in the garage or under the stars.

In the days of the "covered wagon" we did not get goody bags. It was not thought or common. You were invited and attended the party. The guest of honor got presents and you didn't. No one was hurt by not getting any as it was not "expected".

I grew up in New Jersey in the 50s. It was a big deal to be invited to a party of any kind back then as finances are not like they are now. Parents would save for several months to make the party happen.

Times have changed in many areas of our lives since then. That was back when there was no central air in the house or in the car or seatbelts.

the other S.

1) No, never . . . then again we didn't attend all that many birthday parties. Most people we knew just celebrated birthdays with family (which was great).

2) The south.

We didn't get goody bags but sometimes a party favor was given out. Maybe a whistle, balloon or some trinket to take home. I grew up in wisconsin. Parties were usually just held at the child's home with games and cake. But that was decades ago...

You should also ask:
3. When did you grow up?

My answers:
1. No, never.
2. Canada
3. The 70's

ETA: The popular thing when I was a kid was to wrap coins in wax paper and put them in the cake before baking it, and every child got a coin in their piece of cake.

1. I do not recall ever, until I became an adult. I am 40.
2. Houston, Texas

I also do not intend to invite stress to a planned party by trying to figure out how to fill goody bags. I pay for all the party fixin's and don't see a need for buying more only to send it home in a bag.

You did not say how old you are. I'm 43 and I never got a goodie bag. Sometimes you could win a prize, but not everyone would win something. Most people did not even have big birthday parties where we lived...just cake and ice cream at home with family after dinner. So, Texas, growing up in the 70s...no goodie bags. I am guessing you were a kid in the 80s?

No, never. I grew up in northern Minnesota. Sometimes the parent gave each child a balloon from the bunch at the end of the party. I recall one craft I took home. There were games, but prizes only for the winners. As kids, we actually thought that was fun, playing for the chance to win a prize. The only treats were cake and ice cream. We never did candy.

I don't recall getting them very often. I grew up in south Louisiana.
I did not give them out at my child's parties, and no one seemed to miss them.

Interesting. I was a child of late 70s/80s in Pennsylvania and we did not receive goodie bags. Many, but not all parties held games where prizes could be won by a few. Think things like word scrambles and pin the tail on the donkey :-). I do not like goodie bags either but go along with the trend and give something to each guest at my son's parties however.

Mymission hit it right on the head. I remember attending one party for a friend in kindergarten, and I was the only person from school. The rest in attendance was family.

We had slumber parties starting in fourth grade. Then parties at the movies or roller rink and the like. But no goodie bags. We had just had cake, ice cream, popcorn, snacks, stayed up all night, and then had breakfast. Why more stuff?

This was the 70s in the Great Lakes region.

I never did, I'm from Idaho. (And 27 years old.)

Nope. I did not have that many parties to go to. I also did not get a party myself except for rare occasions. When there was a graduation or communion, it was more a family party/dinner. No goody bags---though these are not new.

We also did not do teacher gifts all the time or birthdays in class. Oh, I was born in Chicago and grew up in the neighborhood my parents grew up in.

1. Not really
2. all over the world
3. 70's

My brother is 4 years younger than me and it seems that was when a lot of the goody bags came into fashion. I would say mid 70s.

Personally, I think it is silly. BUT I did them when we had birthday parties for my kids. =)

I remember getting them, and giving them at my parties. I don't remember them being a huge deal, but they happened. I'm 42 and grew up in a bland Northeastern suburb.

The things that seem new to me are:

Parties at places. When I was growing up, parties happened at the kid's house.

Themey parties. The theme of the party was always just "birthday!" A few games (or, when we got older, a movie) and a cake. That was it.

Anything big and expensive, like a bouncy house. People just sprung for streamers, balloons, pizza, and cake. That was pretty much it.

Interesting question!

I'm almost as old as Marda P. and I never heard of goody bags as a child. Party favors were something else - just a little something the guests could take home. LITTLE is the operative word. There were also prizes for the games that were played at the party.

I lived in upstate New York when I was little.

1. Yes I am pretty sure I got/gave something. But it was usually just one thing. We played games until everyone got a prize, or did White Elephant or something. One might get a "Booby Prize" if you didn't win anything, so everyone left with something. Decorating things was big when I was little so you might leave with your puffy paint Tshirt or your paintpen decorated cup or whatever.
2. Southern CA
3. The 80's... then the 90's when I was a teen, I noticed my younger siblings doing the goody bag thing where you fill a bag with tiny stuff.

Because I'm 70, I never received goody bags. I had never heard of goody bags until the 1990's. My daughter came to live with me around 1987 when she was 7. The parties she attended and I gave those first few years did not include goody bags. Later the bag was a mere token; not the extravaganza they are now.

I grew up in central Washington and lived in Oregon when I gained a daughter.

It's just 23 years between 1990 and 2013. 23 years feels recent to me.

Answers mean very little unless you include age or years.

i'm 55, and almost never got goody bags. we were always so excited to get to go to a birthday party, nothing more was needed or expected.
very occasionally if it was a theme-party of some sort (very rare back then) there might be a memento and it would be greatly treasured, but there weren't nearly as many junk toys back then either.
so yeah, for me they're a new and not very welcome thing.
ETA there would be little prizes for the games, and some of the games might be the 'everybody wins' kind, like the fishpond game.
khairete
S.

1. Not once in my life.
2. St. Paul, MN
3. I'm 32

1. Never
2. I lived all over, though mostly in the West. My dad was career Air Force.
3. I'm 48. Goody bags are a relatively new thing. "Relatively" is the key word here.

1. No, never.
2. San Francisco Bay Area

But I grew up in the 50's, when you had maybe one or two birthday parties in your childhood. They were very special as a result, and the party itself was enough.

Yes I always got goody bags growing up at birthdays and I always gave them out at my birthday. I grew up in Southern Califorinia. I am 33 years old

I don't remember many birthday parties either. Kids never really had but one or two friends over for their birthday, if anything.

Now people celebrate half-birthdays in preschool with custom bakery cupcakes and hand out goody bags that are worthy of being on a Pinterest top ten list. Times changed and we got more celebratory (or competitive) I guess.

Nope. Never. Grew up in 50s east coast.

I grew up near San Francisco and I'm in my mid (okay late) 30's.
I recall prizes:
-Pin the tail on the donkey
-musical chairs
-a sticker under the plate or cup

edit:
I do recall lots of parties from Kindergarten to 6th grade. Some at homes and some at places like Chuck E Cheese, roller skating, ice skating, and such. I just do not recall the party favor (I may have gotten them, but do not remember). We did not have a friend party ever year and I do agree that there are way more parties today than in the 1980's.

Grown women are now getting party favors at baby showers. I did get a mini manicure kit from one. I'm not complaining about that.

Fifty, from the South, occasionally got a single party favor (piece of plastic jewelry or cool glittery hat made of cardboard...Yeah, I still wish I had that hat!). But I should add: Back "in the day" there just were nowhere near as many parties as there seem to be today, based on what I read here and what I know from where we live. Having a birthday party was the exception and definitely not the rule, whereas today and certainly in our area, it's unfortunately expected -- by the kids themselves, and by parents themselves. Parties aren't special any more since there are so darned many. But it tapers off after about sixth grade, hooray!!.

No, I never got a goody bag.

I live In Western NY.

I never handed out goody bags at my kids parties either.

BTW I am 63!

No, never rec'd a goody bag. I am 39 and grew up in the PNW.

I never got them growing up and i was born mid 70's.

Nope.
East Coast.
50.

(HATE the goody bag!!!)

#1 - No.
#2 - Southern California
#3 - I am 37

BUT, we had pinatas at almost all of our parties we went to!

L.

No, it wasn't a thing in the small town where I grew up.

Party favors (for any kind of gathering) used to be a status symbol of wealth and/or power. Favors were usually something symbolic or of monetary value during the respective time period. Today's bags-o-junk at kid's parties are the result of imitation and adaptation of a practice that is older than all of us.

#1. No
#2. I lived in central Kansas.

1. Not that I recall.
2. Western Montana

I am 33.

1. Yes, but I remember more party favors than goody bags, or maybe a single item and a small bag of candy.
2. New England
3. 80's

I do not ever remember getting goody bags growing up. I was a military brat so lived in Italy, Georgia, Germany and Illinois.

I usually try to do some sort of token for the kid to take home. May be bubbles, a glow stick, something he/she made or did AT the party (we have done a painting party, lots of arts and crafts, etc).

This year my daughter will have a party at the local skating rink and they include gift bags as part of the package. Son will have his at a local bowling alley and we're having it a Glow in the Dark party so we'll be giving each kid glow sunglasses, bracelets, etc that they can take home but no 'bag'. Smallest son's first birthday will not have any goody bags.

I am 52 I live in a Chicago suburb. Have lived here pretty much my whole life. We always got goodie bags at birthday parties. They were little paper bags about the size is a small zip lock bag. Usually had candy in it and maybe a whistle or little rubber ball or some balloons. But we always got them.

Yes, yes, yes! Goody bags were de rigueur at any party when I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s. They weren't as fancy as they are now, but would contain lollies mainly. You normally got to take home a slice of the birthday cake wrapped in baking paper, and the lolly bag.

I grew up in a modern, western nation that is not the US.

I am 52 and only once was I given a treat at a Birthday party. It was a small note pad and an ink pen with hot pink ink! So fancy.

Of course we ALWAYS had Pinatas, so the birthday, paper cup of candy was always something we took home with us. Always have lived in Austin, Texas and Pinatas have always been a deal down here for birthday parties.

I recall the goodie bags starting when our daughter was about 5. that would have been 1995.

I think their coonless has passed.

I'm 55. I did not get goody bags when I was a child here in Texas. However, I gave them out at my son's parties. I started that because in Las Vegas, it was the practice.

1) Yes, always
2) Southern California
I'm 38.

1. Yes, during the younger years. Goody bags stopped around 8-10.
2. New Jersey

Im 42, midwest, and yes, we'd get something small.