"In Victorian times and throughout the first three decades of the 20th century, Halloween parties were immensely popular. Because these parties were targeted specifically toward adults, many of the earliest Halloween decorations employed frightening and highly complex imagery of devils, witches, skeletons and ghosts. In later years, as the holiday became increasingly geared toward children, Halloween imagery was toned down by manufacturers to appeal to a broader market and "cute" decorations gradually replaced the scary themes. The heyday of Halloween parties in the early 1900s gave birth to a commercial market for Halloween memorabilia. Dazzlingly designed candy containers, noisemakers and decorations were imported from Germany and eagerly purchased by American hostesses planning their annual parties.
Beginning in 1909 and continuing through 1934, Dennison Manufacturing Company of Framingham, Massachusetts entered the Halloween party niche with their colorful party supply catalogs, appropriately named Bogie Books. The 1909 Dennison's Bogie Book is the first and rarest issue, with only a handful of copies extant. The profusely illustrated pages introduced the hostess to party menus, game suggestions and innovative decorating ideas all made possible with paper products manufactured and sold by Dennison."
- from bookthink.com
