If you listen to the Gossip with Celebitchy podcast and/or follow me on Twitter, you know that I am a candy corn lover. I like most of the candies in the corn family, the harvest mix is also very good, but the caramel candy corn, indian corn and other flavors are not as good. It also has to be Brachs, which is the best. Lesser brands give candy corn a bad name. Candy corn, like its seasonal cousin, pumpkin spice, has a reputation for being “basic.” The flavor is quite one note, it’s got a waxy texture that not everyone enjoys, and it can be overwhelming if you have too much of it. Also, some people really hate it. I guess enough people hate it for it to be named the worst Halloween candy in a survey by CandyStore.com, which compiled their results with top ten lists from major websites. Circus Peanuts, last year’s winner, was number two. Here’s their list of best and worst candies.
Worst Halloween Candies
1. Candy Corn
2. Circus Peanuts
3. Peanut Butter Kisses
4. Wax Coke Bottles
5. Necco Wafers
6. Tootsie Rolls
7. Smarties
8. Licorice
9. Good ‘N Plenty
10. Bit-O-HoneyBest Halloween Candies
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
2. Snickers
3. Twix
4. Kit Kat
5. M&Ms
6. Nerds
7. Butterfinger
8. Sour Patch Kids
9. Skittles
10. Hershey Bar
[From CandyStore.com via People]
I must be the type of person keeping all these candies in business, because I have purchased seven on the worst list in the last year including Necco Wafers (nostalgia!), Tootsie Rolls and Smarties (underrated). I also love Good ‘N Plenty. They’re hating on all the classic candies! Now circus peanuts I understand. As for the best list, Snickers and Twix are not good enough to make the top three in any way. Butterfinger should be in the worst list! Reese’s are excellent if they’re fresh, I agree with their inclusion. I guess I like my chocolate without anything in it except peanut butter or toffee. Speaking of that, where are Heath and Skor? Oh and Mr. Goodbar never gets any love. My kid told me to try it and I was surprised how much I liked it. Other honorable mentions include Andes Candies and Junior Mints. Of course if you listen to our podcast you also know that my favorite candy of all time is Jelly Bellies. How do they fit so much complex flavor into that tiny bean?
Photos credit: Karley Saagi via Pexels and Avalon.red
Completely and totally fair.
what’s unfair is that these candies shrunk in size in the last 6 years. The Halloween packages are so small and made in Mexico …cough cough Hershey. ..wtf?
I completely agree with these lists, although not necessarily the order.
Me too. These lists are spot on for me, except that I’ve never had a peanut butter kiss, so can’t really say how bad those are.
Never been a candy corn fan.A little goes a very long way for me.
I also have receding gums around a couple bottom teeth and my biggest sensitivity is to too sweet of a food hitting that area-ouch!
So I stay clear of candy corn and those caramel squares that are so popular this time of year!
My husband loves candy corn. He just bought a giant bag of it. I don’t even like to look at it.
What about peanut butter M&M’s??!!!
When I go to the US I eat them fairly regularly unfortunately.
Best thing under the sun.
I don’t care for any other candy than those or Jelly Beans and vegetarian Percy Pigs (Marks & Spencer gelatine-free gums), the latter in moderation.
Kaiser loves peanut butter M&Ms! They’re really good and that’s why I don’t buy them.
Lord help me if there is a bag in the same room…
I love them too and cant buy them. I really cant buy any candy to keep in the house. I eat it all in a day.
Peanut butter M&Ms are the best! I have no will when those are around.
Have you ever had caramel or coconut M&Ms? Soooooo good
Torontonian with a serious candy problem here…I thought the worst candies were the ones with the flying witches on the wrapper, which held something mascaraing as toffee. Maybe it’s just a Canadian thing but I hate those and they keep making them.
Hahaha I was just about to comment about those damn flying witch candies. They still sell them but I can’t imagine who on earth would want to buy them.
Do you mean the molasses kisses? Because I LOVE those. I 100% buy them for myself every year (I spare the trick or treaters because I know most people hate them).
Ahhh, they make them for you. Welp, if I see any I’ll send them your way!
You are the only person I know that likes them. Didn’t know they were made with molasses. I haven’t had one since I was a kid but I HATED when people gave them out for halloween !
hahaha, but at least I realize that most people think they’re trash. Honestly, I’m doing the lords work by eating them so some other poor person doesn’t get duped 😂
Even though I really enjoy them, I’d still pick a pack of starburst or laffy taffy or something like that over them.
Agree! I think they’re molasses taffy and they are hands down the most disgusting candy on the planet.
But tootsie rolls – I love them!
See, I’m in the pro-Molasses kisses camp here. However, I loathe candy corn (and the freaking candy pumpkins made out of the same sugar glue) with every fiber of my being.
I am taking total exception (and am rather salty about) the inclusion of Necco Wafers and Smarties. God damn it, those are classics! I even have a tattoo of a roll of Necco Wafers!
Fellow Canadian and I HATE those toffee whatever things! They’re always so hard and taste so disgusting. It was always the last thing left in the Halloween bag once you’ve eaten everything else. I have no idea who even buys them to hand out! If any other Canadian wants to trade those things for Rockets… we have a deal 🙂
Candy corn is delicious but too sweet
Hmmm. I don’t mind candy corn – I cant eat a lot of it, but I’ll have a piece or two at a Halloween party or something. it’s actually too sweet for me.
As for the rest of the list – is it just candy that people don’t like in general, or candy that people don’t like to get when trick or treating? Because I like necco wafers, but I would be really ticked if I got them in my ToTing bag.
but whoever put tootsie rolls on that list is just dead wrong. Tootsie rolls are the BEST.
As a kid I had a real sweet tooth as do most, but I would’nt eat candy korn. Blech!
Same.As a kid I would love going to my great grandmas house as she always had something special (her sugar cookies were divine).Imagine my disappointment when I would go anticipating something great,and there would be a bowl of candy corn,lol!
Oh no…I love candy corn, bit-o-honey and circus peanuts. I am just a candy lover in general though. Mix a bag of candy corn with some peanuts and it tastes like a Payday.
Candy corn mixed in a bowl with super salty peanuts = pretty good treat.
Ooh, you & Mellie are onto something. I’ll have to try that!
We used to throw candy corn away, no one wanted it. I don’t know what it says about me that I haven’t heard of most of the worst candy, but other than the ones with nuts/peanut butter I agree with the best. My favorite has always been Mike and Ike, but that feels more like a movie candy now.
Might be a generational thing. Those were all in the penny candy counter when I was a kid (and I’m a boomer). And of course, most on that list predate that time period, I think some were even invented in the 19th century.
Candy Corns are my favorite Halloween candy of all time. Tootsie rolls are second. This list makes me sad.
Brachs candy corn is good but I can’t eat very much of it. I’d put it in place of the nerds on the good list!
I particularly LOVE smarties. They are like less tart sweet tarts. And red licorice is good
I was wondering if they were those smarties that I call rockets, or if they meant the Nestle version of M&Ms (Canadian, so it threw me off for a minute) – but I enjoy those too. I would probably choose sweet tarts over them, but I think Rockets/Smarties have their place haha.
I did not think of the chocolate smarties. Gosh that is confusing! I know that the not so tart smarties usually appear in compilations of cheaper, off brand candy, so usually there are some in the mix. We don’t get the chocolate ones here unless it’s a special order. Yuuuuuummmmmm
A really good underrated candy bar? Take 5. Delicious.
Worst candy? Mallo Cups. Puke.
Agree on both!
I LOVE candy corn. Every year at this time I have to buy myself a bag. I’m also fond of most of the other items on the WORST list.
I generally agree with these lists except I do like smarties. But Reece’s cups are the best and I don’t get how anyone could like candy corn.
We have two bars in Canada called coffee crisp and crispy crunch that are the worst halloween treats. They are always included in variety bar boxes with better bars so you get stuck with quite a few in your bag. Or if you are a parent it’s one less option when attempting an early candy raid. Coffee crisp is particularly egregious imo.
I like coffee crisp…don’t mind crispy crunch sometimes. What I noticed the kids aren’t happy with is wonderbar. The last few years I’ve been giving out Doritos and Cheetos, the kids seem to like that.
Aw, I really enjoy coffee crisps. Not enough to buy one on its own, mind you, but I certainly don’t avoid them in the Halloween packs. It might be pure nostalgia for the ads, though – “You like your coffee….CREEEEESP?”
I will say that Halloween pack versions of coffee crisp are never as good as a regular coffee crisp bar. I don’t know if they try to use up older stock, or what. But a lot of the chocolate bar multi packs just don’t have the same oomph that a regular bar has.
Coffee crisp was my favourite chocolate when I was a kid (weird I know but I’ve always loved coffee and coffee flavoured things). It hasn’t been available here for years but now I’m going to have to try track down a candy shop that’ll deliver it to Australia…
Are they referring to chocolate Tootsie Rolls? Because fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls are divine!!
Oh, wow, I’m behind the times. I didn’t know they made fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls!
I like precisely 5 candy corns, then I’m done until next October.
I LOVE candy corn, but it’s true that most people I know don’t. Also on the worst list that I really love are tootsie rolls and smarties.
Candy Corn is fine. I don’t buy bags of it, but I’ll take a few pieces if offered.
Not sure how it ranks #1 over Necco Wafers. I always thought those were Tums in disguise.
Reese Cups 4eva ❤️
I love coffee crunch and crispy crunch. I’ve already bought and eaten a bag of crispy crunch treats this year. I have to stop myself from buying more until October 30th.
Those little witch candies and candy corns are terrible.
Candy Corn 4ever! Have you ever wanted to eat a candle because it smelled so good? Candy Corn will fulfill that need.
I like Candy Corn’s cousin Candy Pumpkin. Also gummy corn and gummy pumpkin. I also enjoyed limited mountain dew candy corn flavor!
Tootsie rolls, on the other hand, are the passive aggressive Halloween candy. “Is this candy?” “It’s candy!” No, it’s some you might find on your rug and feel too intimated to smell it and figure out what it is.
I’m fine with candy corn in small amount like if it’s part of the sweets decoration (a witch nose, a tooth, etc). The worst candy for me would be that coconut flavored chocolate, Bounty. They taste like sunscreen. I always pick them out of the candy bowl. My sister loves them. She used to trade her York mints for my Bounty stash from my Trick or Treat loot. She thinks York tastes like toothpaste. I love York mint patties so much that I brush my teeth with it.
I like candy corn but yeah, it is widely unpopular. Circus peanuts are so gross! Bit-o-honey is nasty too. My least favorite chocolate are malt balls. Whoppers should be on the gross list.
I like bit o honey, but I’m afraid I’m going to lose some fillings or something. I seem to recall losing a baby tooth to one of them as well.
These are pretty much all my favorite candies! My husband teases me for liking “old lady candy,” but really I just like things that are a little less sweet I think (with the exception of candy corn, which is VERY sweet).
Funnily enough, we just got into some candy corn yesterday while some friends were over who are also candy corn lovers. One of them commented that you really have to be the kind of person who likes caramel and butterscotch to be into them, which I think is true. It’s so creamy and warm-tasting. I just love it.
I would never buy candy corn because it would be gone in five minutes.
Reese’s are my forever faves. My daughter always buys me a huge one as part of my birthday present. Yum!
I love candy corn. And Butterfingers! 100 Grand bars are also awesome. The difference is candy corn is seasonal, like candy canes, so I can only have it briefly and I associate it with Fall.
I love candy corn – if it is available I will keep dipping my hand into the bowl! So I don’t buy it 🙂 However my absolute favorite is Baby Ruth. I always make sure to buy a bag for the kids at Halloween. Then I make sure they take . . most. . of it. (But I always leave some me for me!)
In my neighborhood we get plenty of kids — and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and Snickers are the candy of choice.
Andes mints are bomb, Celebitchy. One of my favs of all time. And how bout Nestle Crunch Bars?
And screw Reese’s peanut butter cups- give me Reese’s Pieces, dangit! Much much better than Peanut Butter M&Ms.
I’m really interested to know the age breakdown of those surveyed. All of the ones in the unpopular column are ones I would definitely classify as old people candy. I’m not particularly young – 27 – but those candies are things I imagine were popular when my parents went trick or treating. I definitely agree with the popular list.
At 27, I’d say you are very young !
I loathe candy corn with the passion of 10,000 burning nuns.
But tootsie tolls and smarties rock. That made me sad to see them on that list.
My all time favorite candy, though, is malteasers.
Yes Malteasers ! But I have to say the ones in the UK are better than the ones they sell in Canada. The chocolate coating is different.
Nuns, huh? That’s funny.
I’d eat candy corn as a last resort. One Halloween, vowing not to eat any candy, I only bought stuff I didn’t like. Guess what, I ended up liking (and eating) the candy anyway (even the Mary Janes that get stuck in your teeth)!
What? licorice? How? They must have different licorice in the states! The twizzler and Nibs licorice in Canada is the bomb!
Also I’ve never heard of a bunch of these. Of the bad list you can only get 6-8 in Canada. You can get candy corn but they don’t put them in little packages to give out for Halloween. People also give out mini bags of chips/cheetos/popcorn in Canada and the odd house gives out pop and juice boxes.
I’m so surprised no one has mixed candy corn and dry roasted peanuts!! The salty offsets the sweet – perfect combo, imo!
The worst list is okay. The best list is messed up. Reese’s is one of the worst candies ever made, just hideous. Snickers and Nerds are pretty bad, too.
Candy Corn – NO – but those red vine Twizzler things are the worst.
I tried one again recently and had to spit it out.
My girls and I like sour candies and hot candies like Hot Tamales but chocolate is okay.
I like Heath bars and Paydays are great for travel.
They are sweet and salty and creamy and crunchy and filling and they don’t melt but I doubt kids like Paydays.
Our store always has a bowl of lollipops for kids and we usually have Jolly Rancher or Blow Pops (hate Blow Pops) but this time of year, we get these lollipops from Tootsie Roll that are caramel apple because everyone seems to love them especially the original owner who stops in sometimes.
My husband was in Kroger’s a couple of weeks ago and an announcement came over the speaker that all the candy bars in the Halloween aisle would be .17 cents for the next 2 hours or until gone!
He brought home bags of those King Size Reese’s cups the ones with 3 or 4 cups each .17 cents each!
This is why the kids in the ‘hood don’t steal our decorations or mess with us. 🙂
I freaking love those green apple/caramel lollipops. They are the one thing I can’t say no to. So, so good.
The only thing I really wouldn’t eat from those lists are Hershey bars, because they just taste like chocolate gone bad, and maybe a wax coke bottle- what the heck is that?
Ok I’m kinda embarrassed now.
Don’t be embarrassed! That’s OLD school along with wax lips and candy cigarettes.
“Candy cigarettes”
We have a store in town that specializes in old style candies and they carry all those along with clove and Teaberry gum. I like clove gum.
The wax bottles weren’t just filled with Coke flavored syrup but also other soda flavors like orange.
I didn’t know that Lemonheads also come in grape. We like both of those.
Oh man, thanks for mentioning wax lips and candy cigarettes. Such good memories!
And I LOVE candy corn. Just bought a bag the other day – polished it off right quick. Eat them all year round.
Molasses Kisses are the worst.
Good grief, other than 5,8 and 9, back in the day I enjoyed all of those listed as the worst candied, lol!!
I just realized my whole family calls it “corn candy” not ‘candy corn’.
Why not eat compressed corn syrup and dyes? It’s my favorite, and I know that’s gross.
I like candy corn and smarties.
Candy corn plus buttered and salted popcorn = heaven
I don’t mind a little candy corn.
Here in Canada we have Rockets (similar to Smarties in the US but less tart). Many people seemingly don’t like them but I LOVE them. My parents love Molasses Kisses but my brother and I hated them. But my parents were born in the 50s. They also like Good n Plenty and Licorice Allsorts but I won’t touch anything black licorice. I do love red licorice and Nibs though!
I love Swedish berries and real British wine gums. It is really hard for me to not eat wine gums if they are around. Oh and cinnamon hearts, hot lips and big feet. Mmmm
Candy corn and almonds are heavenly.
Candy corn with the chocolate flavoring is good, but without it, I don’t care for it. There is a good smarties brand that had a tart or tang to it that made them very good, but nowadays they just taste too sweet. I hate Mary Janes—they’re like bit o honey which is also gross. Sugar babies, sweet tarts, 3 musketeers, and milky ways are on my yummy list. Also, baby Ruth bars are good.