Halloween is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for the annual grocery store dance: pretending you’re buying candy for the neighborhood kids when you’re actually just stocking your secret snack drawer. No judgment.
But this year, as people try to stretch their candy budget and indulge their own sweet tooth, one thing is clear: some treats are tanking hard. And by “some treats,” we mean the usual suspects that should’ve been canceled years ago.
Candy corn popularity is tanking
What’s not to love about that waxy, tri-colored triangle that tastes like regret and sadness? Consumer interest in candy corn is down 9.1% this year, and honestly, it’s shocking it still had 9.1% to lose. If you’re still handing this stuff out, you’re either trolling the neighborhood or cleaning out your grandma’s pantry.
No one wants licorice either
Licorice saw an even bigger nosedive, down 13.6%. (No offense to the four people who still willingly eat black licorice, but… are you okay?)
Other treats we’re giving a hard pass?
Also falling out of favor: marshmallow candies (down 9%) and caramel apples (down almost 7%). Turns out, people don’t want to eat something that immediately yanks out a filling.
The candies we do want to eat
Now for the good stuff – the candies that are rising from the shadows and into our reusable tote bags. Haribo gummies are up a whopping 48%, because chewy little bears are basically universal joy. Baby Ruth bars are having a moment too, up 42%. (Did someone’s grandpa get access to TikTok?) Hershey’s Kisses, up 37%. Apparently, we’re all in our “give me bite-sized chocolate and no one gets hurt” era.
“Parade“ magazine chalked some of that surge up to nostalgia. But are Baby Ruths and Hershey’s kisses really any more old-school than candy corn? Methinks kids today just know they have other options and don’t have to eat wax to get that sweet candy-induced dopamine hit.
So, ditch the licorice, forget the candy corn, and embrace the candy that actually sparks joy. It’s Halloween. Life’s too short for sad sweets.
