While Halloween night is famously filled with treats, in New Jersey, the night before is commonly marked by tricks in the form of ding, dong, ditch, toilet paper and the occasional egg.
The Oct. 30 tradition is thought to have appeared in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, according to TIME, with some arguing that the tensions of war and depression encouraged the mischief.
Per TIME, a 1937 article in the Daily Boston Globe described children “ringing false alarms, setting fires, breaking windows, and in general doing their best to annoy people.” There were also reports of a disappeared horse and wagon, the ringing of doorbells, and a “fruit and vegetable battle.”
In Cliffside Park, canines in Halloween costumes strut the runway
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Maria Barreras and her Maltese, named Tribi, won a prize for ‘scariest costume’ at a Halloween costume contest hosted by the Cliffside Park Police Department at The Towne Centre on Oct. 24. (Philip DeVencentis/NorthJersey.com)
Today, the tradition continues, with many people waking up on Halloween morning to trees covered in toilet paper among other things.
While, according to TIME, the unofficial holiday is commonly called Mischief Night in the New Jersey area and the coastal Northeast, some Garden State residents have different names for it including Goosey Night and Cabbage Night.
What do you call the night before Halloween? A 2025 poll of NorthJersey.com readers had Goosey Night in the lead with about 40% of the vote. However, a 2024 poll saw Mischief Night take the lead at nearly 42% of the vote.
Weigh in now! The poll closes Nov. 3, 2026 at midnight.
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