Candy Corn: The Sweet Spark Igniting Love and Loathing Each Halloween Season

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The debate about candy corn, the shining tricolor jewels of autumn candy, is a beloved and contentious part of Halloween tradition. As the season of ghouls and goblins descends upon us, the classic white, orange, and yellow kernels provoke high emotions and divide the confectionery world like few others.

Proponents passionately defend their love for the sugary treat, pointing out its unique charm. They wax poetic about its waxy texture and its once-a-year celebratory indulgence. Certainly, its plastic or candle-like texture and its high sugar component attract a lot of critics, but these attributes also accentuate its distinctiveness for its fans. The jesting words of comedian Shannon Fiedler encapsulate this sentiment. “Candy corn is objectively kind of gross, but that’s what makes it good,” she declared on TikTok.


The naysayers, on the other hand, may not be so charitable. To them, candy corn possesses an almost unnatural resemblance to a dissolvable candle, and certainly not a quality of their favorite sweet. Yet, such criticism only strengthens the love felt by candy corn aficionados.

Brach’s, the market leader, sees this loyalty play out in its sales. Every fall season, the company produces approximately 30 million pounds of candy corn. Based on consumer research, these sales summed up to $75 million of $88.5 million candy corn sales last year. This may seem trivial compared to the sales of top chocolate sellers or popular confections, but few other candies have permeated the culture quite like candy corn.

Candy corn’s subsets extend from simple memes on social media to inspiring diverse forms of fashion, hairdos, makeup, and nail designs. It even found itself transplanted into nut bowls, trail mixes, and atop cupcakes. Major brands such as Vans, Nike, and Kellogg’s have also embraced the candy corn wave.

From s’mores to cotton candy and even a brief flirtation with a turkey dinner flavor— the spectrum of candy corn’s influence is truly expansive. Perhaps this is not surprising considering its heritage. Legend says it was first produced in Philadelphia in 1888 by Wunderle Candy Co., and ever since, candy corn has been a staple in American confectionery, loved and loathed in equal measures. Nowadays, children enjoy creating corncob towers with them, and adults have developed their own rituals of savoring each color of the tricolor kernels.

Candy corn may be panned for its excessively sweet composition. However, as Professor Richard Hartel of the University of Wisconsin-Madison—who teaches candy science—points out, it’s not any sweeter than a lot of other candy.

Yet, the love for candy corn extends beyond its taste. To many, it signifies the arrival of the Fall season—heralding pumpkin spice lattes, colorful fall sweaters, and the anticipation of the holiday season. In this sense, candy corn embodies seasonal nostalgia and emotional resonance that few others sweets can claim.

Those who squirrel away this autumnal delight, hoarding it for year-round consumption, understand candy corn’s unique allure. Yet, not all share in this sentiment. To the detractors, candy corn may represent nothing more than big lumps of dyed sugar devoid of flavor. Some argue it’s a candy that evokes unpleasant childhood memories. Still, regardless of these polarizing views, candy corn endures and will likely continue to ignite passionate debates each Halloween for years to come.

In the end, the conversation around candy corn exemplifies the diverse tastes and preferences of consumers. It’s a testament to the love and loathing evoked by this tricolor kernel, adding a unique flavor to the Halloween season with its unmistakable presence. Regardless of whether you find yourself in the camp of those relishing in its sweet, waxy texture or among those who find it repugnant, there’s no denying the role candy corn plays in marking the onset of the fall season.