Mischief Night – what pranks did you pull?

Back in the day, eggs, pastel, shaving cream, and webs (yes, webs) were the big items on the agenda for Mischief Night. Although we didn’t call it “mischief night.”

Mischief Night was the night of Halloween proper.

When my cousins moved to Metuchen back in the early 60s, I remember them saying how they’d go out on Mischief Night – which was on the 30th. I always thought it strange.

No matter what the day you caused havoc, what was in your arsenal?

With my cousins, they’d tell of kids soaping up car windshields. Sounded “exciting!” (Not!)

According to this story, that particular activity was big in North Jersey many years ago.

In "The Jews of Paterson," a history by David Wilson, calls Goosey Night (which it was called there) a "Paterson Tradition," during which boys in the 1940s would soap up car and store windows, but also offers no explanation as to where the term came from.

Back in my old neighborhood, I could remember kids buying large blocks of chalk called “pastel;” placing them in a big sock, and throwing them in the street as a bus would pass over them - leaving the sock filled with a powder. Object was to hit your friends with the socks leaving them ashen. Or hitting the sides of buildings with the pastel filled socks

Same with eggs.

I always thought it was a sin to waste eggs like that, but no one was safe Halloween night. Especially not the busses that would travel through the neighborhood.

Rolling omelets is what they’d be left as.

Webs were especially fun. You’d take a black spool of thread, and string it across a dark sidewalk, then wait in the bushes, hoping that someone would be walking down the street.
Once they’d hit the thread, down they’d go.

Not that I’d advocate that.

Don’t be surprised if by tomorrow morning you’ll see “tp” (toilet paper) strands hanging from trees – or shaving cream covered stop signs and windshields.

All part of the tradition of Mischief Night, Cabbage Night, Devil's Night, Goosey Night.

Whatever!