Bring out your tastebuds

Best, worst Halloween candies

Annie Finholm, Reporter

     Hershey. Nestle. Sugar-filled treats galore. 

     Junior Emily Cassidy says her favorite candy “is Swedish Fish.” This sweet appeals to her because she likes “the flavor,” in addition to the fact that “gummies are just [her] favorite kind of candy.”  

     She adds that her least favorite sugary treat is “Good & Plenty.” The junior describes the flavor of these as “just absolutely awful.” 

     Junior Riley Stewart disagrees with Cassidy, stating that Snickers are her favorite because they are “just the perfect combination of everything.” On the flip side, Stewart comments that her least favorite candy is “definitely the banana flavored [taffy].”  

     According to Cassidy, the most popular candies are “more of the artificially flavored candies like Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, or Skittles” in comparison to “your basic chocolates like Kit Kats and Hershey’s.” She believes that “chocolate just isn’t as popular anymore.” The junior says that she feels that because of the industries “having the ability to develop these artificial flavors, it makes people more curious to try them out.” 

     However, the Candy Industry has revealed that the top ten Halloween candies in the year 2021 are “Reese’s Cups, Skittles, M&M’s, Starburst, Hot Tamales, Sour Patch Kids, Hershey Kisses, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, and Candy Corn.” 

     The least popular sweet, says Cassidy, is “Whoppers.” She adds that “people just don’t get them, and they get stale pretty easily.” 

     Spoon University states that some of the worst candies are “Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls, Raisinets, Dots, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Red Vines, Dubble Bubble, Good & Plenty, and Circus Peanuts.” 

     Stewart believes the worst candy is “Almond Joys.” She acknowledges that there are a lot of people who enjoy the combination of coconut, chocolate, and almonds, but she finds them “yucky.”  

     Cassidy has discovered that she believes “Sour Patch Kids” are the best sweet. She particularly enjoys that “they’re sour and sweet at the same time.” 

     When it comes to overrated candies, Cassidy is adamant on sharing that Twizzlers are the most overvalued. She describes them as being “waxy” and not having much flavor. She simply “[doesn’t] know why people like them.” 

     According to Cassidy, “without being introduced to candy by [her] brothers, [she’d] probably be leaning more towards chocolate-based candies.” She remembers that when her brothers would buy something, she would ask “can I try a piece?” and then end up enjoying it.  

     Stewart recalls a time when she was around 8 years old when she “got a big bag full of Halloween candy but wanted to save it.” She ended up “saving and saving until the next Halloween when [she] had to throw out [candy that was a year old].” 

     Cassidy reminisces on a time when she was “trick-or-treating [and] the lady was handing out mouthwash instead of candy.” She adds that the experience was “pretty upsetting.”