What Your Halloween Candy Says About You (And Why Kids Are Judging)

Have you purchased your Halloween candy yet? If you haven’t, it’s not too late to stock up for trick-or-treaters. Although budgets may be tight this year, you can find plenty of affordable options that kids will love. But think carefully before grabbing that bargain-bin bucket of candy corn or worse, handing out raisins, spare change, homemade baked goods, or anything too unusual (with a few exceptions, which we’ll get to later). Because what you hand out at your house to kids says a lot about you – and, trust us, word gets around. From king-sized candy bars to potatoes, we explore all your possibilities for Halloween.

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Chocolate

Data from Instacart and Food & Wine revealed that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were last year’s most-purchased candy for Halloween, followed by Peanut M&Ms, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, regular M&Ms and Snickers. In short: Chocolate in many forms dominates the list of favorites.

Unfortunately, this is one of the costliest options for retirees on a fixed income this year. Halloween chocolate prices are up 15.5% year-over-year, according to Quartz.com.

If you’re in a position to be handing out full-size chocolate bars, you love going “all-in” for the holiday and you’re probably also a savvy shopper to snag the best sales. The kids will appreciate you.

Popular Candies

Sour Patch Kids snuck into Instacart’s list of top Halloween candies in the number seven slot. Other popular, non-chocolate sweets include HARIBO Goldbears, and Skittles. Nerds earned the number five spot on a similar list from DoorDash, while Airheads ranked seventh.

Nostalgic Candies

Airheads, introduced in 1985, might bring some of us back to our own trick-or-treating days. Other “nostalgic” candies are also growing in popularity, according to DoorDash. Sales of Circus Peanuts are up 350%, while Bit-O-Honey is up 180%. Trick-or-treaters still love “tasting the rainbow,” too. Skittles, first manufactured in the US in 1982, made #6 on this year’s DoorDash list.

“Fun Size” Chocolate

With so many great candy options, it can be hard to choose. That’s where giant bags of “fun-size” chocolate bars, occasionally with Skittles or gummy bears tossed into the mix, can help. Plus, if you aren’t sure how many trick-or-treaters you’ll get, you can always give more or fewer pieces as the crowds ebb and flow so you don’t run out. If this is your choice, according to Kim Holderness of the GenX YouTube sensation, The Holderness Family, you may have trouble committing. Plus, she said in a video, “You’re a people-pleaser. You worry about what other people think of you, so instead of buying your favorite candy, you buy other people’s favorite candy in teeny-tiny little bite sized pieces.”

That sounds a little too accurate.

Flavored Tootsie Rolls

Holderness continued her assessment of what the candy you hand out on Halloween says about you. Regular Tootsie Rolls are okay; it just means you don’t want to be tempted by keeping the good stuff in your house in the weeks prior to Halloween. But, she said, “If you are handing out the flavored Tootsie Rolls, it’s because you were late to the store, and there was nothing else left.”

Chips or Pretzels

If you’re looking for a somewhat healthier (and potentially less expensive) treat, or if the stores really are out of candy, don’t stress. You don’t have to resort to the flavored Tootsie Rolls. Kids might like getting pretzels or chips, as a change of pace. If you really want to impress the neighborhood tweens and teens out trick-or-treating, choose a trending savory and spicy snack like Taki, which surpassed pretzels and Goldfish this year as the top non-candy treat, according to DoorDash. This option shows you’re willing to think outside the box, and still in touch with what the kids like. If you aren’t sure if your choice will be popular, ask your grandkids.

Potatoes or Ramen Soup? Huh?

Want to show just how on-trend you are? Offer a sweet treat but also give the choice of pre-packaged ramen soup or a potato. Yes, a potato.  The social experiment started a few years ago on TikTok, with people offering kids a choice of a traditional “treat” or a potato (or ramen). “Some immediately took the potatoes… all were at least a little bit amused,” Mashed  reported.