Let’s face it, when it comes to Halloween, most people are less about the tricks and more about the treats! Have you ever stopped tearing through wrappers long enough to wonder when the tradition of sugar solicitation began?
The practice of “trick or treating” actually dates back to the Middle Ages and “All Souls Day”, when Britain’s less fortunate citizens would beg for sweet bread, known as soul cakes, in exchange for prayers for dead relatives. This tradition eventually made its way across the pond in the 1800’s but begging turned to joking, hence the creation of “trick or treat”. By the 1950’s, mischievous Halloween behavior was a thing of the past and children focused more on their costume creation than their prank planning.
Once the focus switched from tricks to treats, the candy boom was born. More is purchased in October than any other month; in fact, Americans buy around 600 million pounds of spooky sweets each year! This Halloween, don’t just settle for getting a sugar high – expand your knowledge with these tasty tidbits about your haunted holiday favorites.
- Candy Corn has been around for more than a century and is still the #1 best-selling Halloween treat. It has been made with the same recipe (sugar, corn syrup, and marshmallow) since 1900. After Candy Corn, America’s top-selling candies are Snickers, Reese's, Kit Kat, and M&M's.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in the United States. They were actually added to soldiers' rations in World War II because of their ability to stay fresh in extreme weather.
- Bubble gum is pink because, when it was invented, that was the only available food dye. According to studies, only 10% of kids in America prefer to receive gum on Halloween; instead, chocolate is the top choice. The National Confectioners Association asserts that 3/4 of a trick-or-treater’s loot will be chocolate-based.
- Three Musketeers bars were originally 3 flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Two of the Musketeers were dropped, but the name remained the same.
- One half of the candy in a Good & Plenty box gets its color from crushed bugs. No, seriously. Jelly Beans and Candy Corn can also contain bug byproducts. Talk about creepy and crawly!
- Candy cigarettes are not contraband, but they were prohibited in North Dakota from 1953-1967. The FDA’s Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was misinterpreted by the media; it actually refers to fruit-flavored tobacco cigarettes and not the vintage candy sticks. Still, most modern parents no longer give these out on Halloween.
- We may never truly know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A machine created by engineering students at Purdue University determined that an average of 364 licks are needed, while human trials at the same school averaged 250 licks. Additional studies at a junior high school resulted in even lower numbers (144).
- Dark chocolate stays fresh for nearly 2 years – over twice as long as milk chocolate. Here’s hoping your neighbors aren’t recycling last Halloween’s Special Dark treats!
- The official name of that notorious orange-and-black-wrapped mystery candy is…Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses.
Now that you’re enlightened…it’s time to break into the kids’ candy stash! It all needs to be taste-tested first, right? Just don’t forget to share these fun facts with your costumed companions. Knowing the history of Halloween treats makes them that much sweeter.