I have a vivid memory of the Halloween-themed “trail mix” that would sit in a crystal glass bowl on my grandmother’s counter each year. It was a combination of salty and sweet goodness that included everything from M&M’s to pretzels, popcorn, peanuts — and even candy corn. It’s now been five years since she died, but each fall since, I get a nostalgic flashback to the days when I would sift through the mix, avoiding peanuts in search of my favorite.
Although candy corn is known as Halloween’s most controversial candy, I would often seek it out in the trail mix, pairing the sweet confection with a salty snack or biting off the colors one by one.
In recent years, other seasonal versions of the treat have popped up for holidays like Christmas, Easter and even Valentine’s Day. There have also been several new variations invented, ranging from peppermint to pumpkin spice and virtually any flavor in between.
But to me, classic candy corn will always be Halloween. Now, as I grow older, I usually happen to have a bit of candy corn in the fall months, but it’s never necessary — just a small reminder of my grandma.
Candy corn has existed for more than 100 years, supposedly first created by a Wunderle Candy Company employee named George Renninger in the 1880s. When it was first introduced in the U.S., the tri-color design was revolutionary and gained a lot of attention. Due to the lack of automated machinery, confections were made seasonally, ultimately making candy corn the fall staple that it is today.
Today, more than 9 billion kernels (or 35 million pounds) of candy corn produced annually are eaten in correlation with spooky season, according to past statements by the National Confectioners Association. It has even been ranked the third most popular Halloween treat, following chocolate and gummy candy.
However, despite remaining in the market for so long, candy corn is still a hot topic of debate. People either love it or hate it, and some have never even tried it.
According to Brach’s, the nation’s largest producer of candy corn, there is a regional pattern to how much people enjoy the seasonal treat: all ten top-buying states reside somewhere in the Midwest.
There is also a generational divide in love for candy corn, according to data from the National Confectioners Association. Gen X enjoys eating candy corn the most, with 58% admitting to their preference for the iconic fall treat. Trailing close behind, 56% of Boomers claim to enjoy candy corn. Approval ratings decline in younger generations, as less than half of millennials and Gen Z report liking the confection.
An even more interesting argument in the candy corn community is the right way to eat the triangle-shaped treat. Most people, 58%, eat the whole piece at once, while 28% report starting with the small white tip, and 15% start at the yellow bottom, the National Confectioners Association says.
Whether you bite from the top, the bottom or skip it altogether, candy corn isn’t going anywhere — like it or not. For me, it’s the memories that last long after the sugar is gone.
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
