A small bag of cheap toys given to attendees of birthday parties for kids under 10. Giving out these bags is like saying "thank you for attending." But they're really given out to calm hostilities that could arise from one kid receiving a bunch of presents and everyone else getting nothing. In this way, loot bags are much like the "Participant" award that all young kids receive at events to encourage them to continue to participate in events later in life no matter how badly they suck.

When I was in grade one, I was the only boy present at 2 girl birthday parties. One of my fears was the possibility of the inadequacy of the loot bag. What if it were full of uninteresting girl toys? But, in both cases I had no need to fear. Both girls' mothers in fact overcompensated. These 2 loot bags were probably the best loot bags I'd ever received. Styrofoam airplanes, little plastic parachute men, cowboys and Indians, candy and miscellaneous other boy-oriented goodies.