As you head out to the store to stock up on Halloween candy for this year’s trick-or-treaters, keep in mind this list compiled by CandyStore.com of the best and worst Halloween loot.
In addition to surveying more than 40,000 of CandyStore’s customers, marketers there merged that data with reports from 12 additional media sources on the topic.
Consider this your short list of most loved and hated candy options.
10 Least Popular Halloween Candies
So whatever you do, steer clear of these 10 most-hated candy choices:
- Circus peanuts. These soft orangey-pink chewy peanut-shaped confections ranked high atop the list of worst candies to give Halloween visitors.
- Candy corn. There are people who can’t get enough candy corn – the buttery-flavored tri-colored candy pieces – and others (apparently the majority) who detest them.
- Wax Coke bottles. These nostalgic little bottles require you to bite into the tasteless wax outer layer to get a taste of the liquid within. That alone – biting into wax – is enough to discourage many kids from enjoying these little bottles.
- Necco Wafers. Many consumers surveyed mentioned the chalky taste and texture of these colored candy disks wrapped in wax paper.
- Peanut butter kisses (aka Mary Janes). While there was some confusion about exactly what peanut butter kisses were, researchers believe these flat bars of peanutty candy are, in fact Mary Janes.
- Tootsie Rolls. Considered the cheap option, because you get a lot in a bag, consumers didn’t love the dark chewy goodness that Tootsie Rolls offer.
- Smarties. The problem with Smarties apparently wasn’t so much the taste, but the texture. And the abundance – kids get so many!
- Licorice. Few people surveyed indicated a preference for black licorice, not to be confused with red Twizzlers, however.
- Good & Plenty. Since Good & Plentys are licorice wrapped in a hard candy outer shell, it makes sense that they would be next on this list.
- Mary Janes. Mary Janes are so disliked that they actually appeared twice on this list. The consensus was that peanut butter-flavored treats should not be chewy.
10 Most Popular Halloween Candies
If you want to be the favorite house on your block this year, consider stocking up instead on these 10 best candies:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. High atop several lists of best candies is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter.
- Snickers. The hearty peanut flavor of this candy bar is what earned it the second-place spot on the list of best candies.
- Twix. Part cookie, part candy, you can’t go wrong with Twix candy bars.
- Kit Kat. Another crunchy cookie covered in chocolate is the snappy Kit Kat bar.
- M&Ms. You can’t go wrong with any variety of M&M candies – plain, peanut, pretzel, caramel, you name it, they’re a winner.
- Nerds. While noting the small size of most Halloween Nerds boxes, Nerds landed on several “best of” lists.
- Butterfinger. Buttery, crunchy, and a favorite of Bart Simpson. Good call.
- Sour Patch Kids. Although uncommon, Sour Patch Kids are an up-and-coming favorite among the current generation of trick-or-treaters.
- Skittles. Chewy and fruity flavors must be a nice change from the common chocolate items tossed in Halloween baskets.
- Hershey bar. Another confectioner with multiple flavors – plain, almond, cookies ‘n’ cream – Hershey’s appeared on several other favorite candy lists.
Of course, size also matters. You can be sure that whatever kind of candy you choose will matter less if you are generous in your portion size.
Source: Forbes