If you have not yet bought your stash of Halloween candy, you might want to read this first. Nobody wants to become known as the house that gives out unwanted treats(or end up at the receiving end of some All Hallows’ Eve tricks because of it).
The sweet folks at CandyStore.com (see what we did there?) compiled a massive collection of data to come up with the top 10 favorite Halloween candies as well as the 10 most despised treats handed out by well-meaning adults to trick-or-treaters.
History Of Handing Out Treats
Although Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, trick-or-treating as we know it didn’t become mainstream in the United States until the middle of the 20th century.
Even then, costumed children were likely to receive anything from nuts and fruit to coins, toys or cookies in their buckets when they rang their neighbors’ doorbells.
But by the 1970s, there seemed to be an unspoken rule that candy was the treat of choice, in large part because pre-wrapped, commercial goodies were deemed the safest option.
The Best Halloween Candy
This list was created by putting together the results of surveys by a dozen reputable websites along with CandyStore.com’s own survey of more than 30,000 people. According to this data compilation, the top 10 candy brands kids hope to receive when trick-or-treating are the following.
10. Hershey Bars
The simple chocolate bar, which has been available since 1900, remains a favorite.
9. Skittles
The colorful, fruity treats are ideal for Halloween, even if they contain a gross, seasonal flavor.
8. Sour Patch Kids
They’re a little sour, a little sweet, and a whole lot popular.
7. Butterfinger
Nobody better lay a finger on these, unless they’re passing them out to kiddos.
6. Nerds
The tiny boxes of sugary pebbles made the list.
5. M&Ms
There are many flavors of the candies available now, but you might want to stick with plain or peanut.
4. Kit Kats
Some even have glow-in-the-dark wrappers.
3. Twix
Right or left is fine.
2. Snickers
Keep those kids from feeling hangry.
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
The chocolatey, peanut buttery confections topped the list.
Halloween Candy To Avoid
It is just as important, if not more so, to know what trick-or-treaters definitely don’t want. According to CandyStore.com, you shouldn’t waste your money on these unwanted sweets.
10. Bit-o-Honey
They can range from super-sticky to too hard to bite.
9. Good & Plenty
Black licorice is a polarizing flavor, for sure.
8. Licorice
The list is clear that this does not include Twizzlers — black licorice is what trick-or-treaters don’t want.
7. Smarties
The chalky candies are not well-received.
6. Tootsie Rolls
They’re classic, affordable and overused, which might be why they made the list.
5. Necco Wafers
These sweets, which have been around since the 1840s, might be past their prime.
4. Wax Coke Bottles
They might be nostalgic for parents or grandparents, but kids are not loving them.
3. Peanut Butter Kisses
These tacky, taffy-like treats in orange and black wrappers seem to show up this time of year, but children don’t look forward to them.
2. Circus Peanuts
The marshmallow candies, which (oddly) come in flavors like cherry, lemon, vanilla and banana, topped last year’s list.
1. Candy Corn
It might be a fall staple, but pass on picking up candy corn to hand out at Halloween.
Do you agree that candy corn is the worst candy? Personally, we’ll take a little bit of everything on the “best” list.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
