The Ultimate Guide to Halloween Candy

I asked on Instagram last week what your favorite Halloween Candy as a kid was and MAN did that induce a major candy craving!! You see, in addition to making costumes for the last two months, I’ve also been watching those amazing “how it’s made” food shows where they take you into the factories where your fave treats are made. You know those shows, right? They are my FAVORITE!!!!!! So to combine everything in to one fun and final Halloween post, we thought we’d do one of our ultimate guides… an Ultimate Guide to Halloween Candy! We rounded up some of your faves and found some fun and crazy facts about a lot of them. You gotta read them!!!!!! Go!

Alright alright, NONE of you claimed candy corn or pumpkins as your fave, but it wouldn’t be the “ultimate” guide without them…

 

Candy corn was originally called “Chicken Feed”!

Despite none of YOU claiming it as your fave, over 35 million POUNDS of candy corn will be produced this year.

Tomorrow is National Candy Corn Day!

Those candy pumpkins? They’re marshmallow flavored!

Now for my personal faves… the chocolates! What’s YOUR fave classic chocolate-y candy?

If you wanted an excuse to call Reese’s a healthy snack… one serving has the same amount of protein as a handful of almonds or a half cup of chickpeas! They were originally called Penny Cups because that was their going price. IF ONLY! And May 18th is the official “I Love Reese’s Day!” MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Each almond in Almond Joys is coated in chocolate BEFORE the whole bar is… that extra chocolatey layer protects the almond from getting soggy in the coconut! About 40% of all almonds produced on this here Earth are made for chocolate based products!

The 100 Grand bar was named after a game show called The Big Surprise, where contestants could win up to… you guessed it, $100,000! The bar has been used in many a prank on radio DJ’s who thought they’d be getting $100,000 CASH and instead got a candy bar… one such prank ended in a lawsuit. OOPS!

This FASCINATES ME! Stay with me: Kit Kat was originally produced by Rowntree’s. Rowntree’s sold the US rights to the bar to Hershey’s so they could distribute it under their name in perpetuity. in 1988 Nestlé acquired Rowntree’s and honored the original Hershey’s agreement BUT with one catch… if Hershey’s ever sold itself to another business, Nestlé would regain the rights to the ever powerful Kit Kat. If Hershey’s lost Kit Kat, they’d lose one of their most iconic candies and lower their net worth. YIKES!

Milky Way was the first filled candy bar. It was inspired by a chocolate malt-milkshake and Time named it one of the most influential candy bars of all time!

At one point, Butterfingers were dropped from planes as a publicity stunt that helped their popularity. When Nabisco required the company that invented the Butterfinger, rumor has it that the Butterfinger recipe was lost and Nabisco had to develop a new recipe to keep the fans happy!

Twix’s name comes from “twin sticks” which is why they are sold in pairs!

And now for Jeff’s favorite section of candy… GUMMIES! Where do you stand? Chocolate or gummies? Both?

If you lined up all the Twizzlers made in one year they’d reach from the Earth to the Moon AND BACK… FIVE TIMES! Twizzlers are one of the most popular movie snacks, second only to.. you guessed it, POPCORN!

According to Tootsie Roll Industries website, Dots are gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free and kosher! They’re also vegan, according to PETA. Woah baby!

It is often speculated that the red Swedish Fish flavor is lignonberry, but this has never been confirmed.

Sour Patch Kids started out as martians, called “Mars Men,” to capitalize on the popularity of UFOs in the 1970s. The name was changed once exported to the US after determining that Americans were more preoccupied with Cabbage Patch Kids than aliens.

I have many memories of summers spent at the pool eating Nerds. They’re such an awesomely weird little candy, aren’t they!? Favorite flavor combo? I always went for the classic strawberry and grape. (But mostly just strawberry.)

Some speculate that Nerds were named after Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran the Zoo where nerds are mentioned as a creature the narrator would collect for the zoo! Apparently there was a Nerds breakfast cereal (WHAT!? Has anyone tried this!?), but sadly it has been discontinued.

We all know that the houses that gave out FULL SIZE candy bars were the prized houses, yes? Oh man, the victory of yelling trick-or-treat and having a basket of full size Milky Ways and double-cup Reese’s being shoved in your face. YESS!

Chocolate reigns supreme! Chocolate makes up almost three quarters of trick-or-treaters candy stash.

Over 10% of all candy sales happen during Halloween season, with the biggest selling day being October 28th.

What candy is most popular in your state!?

Can you believe these 25 Vegan Halloween Candies! Woah!

I could talk about naming things all day long, so… How 19 Candies Got Their Names

Photos by Jeff Mindell

At the studio, we’ve determined some favorites. My CURRENT faves are probably Reese’s and 3 Musketeers (And as of yesterday, Butterfingers, I had never really had them before!!!), Jeff’s is Reese’s, Samantha’s is Almond Joy and Annie’s is Sour Patch Kids and Butterfingers.

Now, let’s hear it! If you haven’t told us already on Instagram, tell us your faves below! What did we miss? The options are endless! Thinking about doing a little name that candy contest on Instagram… stay tuned!

p.s. The Ultimate Guide to Birthday Candles… and Donuts!