Candy. Since pretty much the dawn of man, people have been looking for ways to reward themselves after a hard day’s work, and what better way to reward someone than something that is sweet, tasty, and doesn’t require much preparation. While some do prefer to have a complete dessert at the end of the day, others turn to something much more simple: a piece of candy. Now, people usually have candy at all points throughout the year, however there are 4 specific times where Candy sales are up more than they usually are. These being Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, and of course, Halloween. Halloween is pretty much synonymous with candy, after all it IS the main thing people get from it, however not everyone is equal in this world, and as such peoples tastes when it comes to these candies are extremely different, with some being in love with a candy others may despise. Recently, I was at Kings Dominion’s Halloween event known as Halloween Haunt, and while waiting in line for the rides I noticed on the TV’s in the queue a fact that said Candy corn was the most popular candy on Halloween in terms of sales. I honestly wanted to believe that the fact shown was simply a prank to fit the season, but then I thought about it more. “Just because something is successful does not automatically mean it’s everyone’s favorite”. So now I’m on a quest to finally decide, just what is the best candy for the spookiest time of year? Before we jump in, I want to say that I’m limiting my research to the US, as if I went over every piece of candy ever sold in the world we’d be here all year. Let’s go!

First we’ve got to start simple. According to Statsista, a website dedicated to statistics, the US spent $3 Billion on Halloween candy in 2021, up from $2.41 Billion in 2020, obviously due to life returning to some state of normalcy following the pandemic. For 2022, it is expected that $3.1 Billion will be spent on candy, which is yet another increase from the previous year. In terms of individual candy, Peanut M&M’s were the top seller, with regular M&Ms being right behind them, and Reese’s peanut butter cups in third. The findings from last year are really interesting, because according to Forbes, M&Ms and Reese’s are actually only the favorite candy in 5 states, and Starburst and Sour Patch Kids actually had the most states with 6. It goes back to what I said about how even if something is successful, it doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s cup of tea. One thing that people couldn’t agree on was Candy Corn. Despite being a high seller, the candy is also listed as being the most hated candy within the same Forbes article. Personally, I think that candy corn is average, not really good but not terrible either. I’d still rather eat them over banana laughy taffys. 

Halloween candy is something that no one can agree on, and if I were to be honest, I think that might actually be cool. Different people have different opinions about things, and our candy tastes are no exception. Maybe you do like candy corn, or hate Reese’s, or rarely buy Peanut M&Ms, and THAT’S OKAY! I for one really like whoppers, something I hear nothing but bad words about. So to answer the question “What is the best Halloween candy”, the answer is, there isn’t. And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanieleasington/2021/10/12/americas-favorite-halloween-candy-2021-state-by-state-best-halloween-candy-worst-candy-reeses-skittles-candy-corn/?sh=2bb3d3fc5157