Outside of Halloween, there are few other times of the year when we allow ourselves so much candy with reckless abandon. Tootsie Rolls? Sure! Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Yes, and thank you! Sugar Daddys? What the hell, gimme two!
And no matter what form that perfect combination of corn syrup, sugar and citric acid takes, we all have vivid memories of our favorite bounties from trick-or-treating as a kid. Below, staff from 225 and our sister publications share their all-time favorites. Tell us yours in the comments!
“Dubble Bubble: This stuff had the purest, most sugary classic bubble gum flavor for about 15 seconds before it felt like you were chewing on a wad of rubber cement. I remember going through handfuls of them like a chain-smoker until I had lockjaw, and I loved every minute of it.”
—Kaci Yoder, 225 staff writer
|
|
|
“The success of my childhood Halloween hauls was measured by one thing: how many blue wrappers ended up in my pumpkin-shaped pail. I couldn’t get enough of Nestle Crunch bars’ crispy rice covered in milk chocolate.”
—Jennifer Tormo, 225 editor
“Every Halloween candy is exceptional due to its size. Except candy corn, which is always disgusting. The tiny Reese’s peanut butter cups are my first choice and I will unapologetically eat them until I make myself sick.”
—Brandi Simmons, director of online operations
“Sugar Daddys! [at right] These didn’t rot your teeth like other candy … they extracted them. #nocavities”
—Brittany Nieto, Business Report advertising coordinator
“My favorite was the wax vampire teeth/lips. I would wear them for days. My all-time favorite is the Wax Harmonica. It smelled like a cross between crayons and Vick’s Rub, tasted worse than it smelled but it made the most awful harmonica music. Loved driving my parents nuts with it.”
—Cathy Brown, receptionist
“Candy Cigarettes. Great for tricking kids younger than you on the playground into thinking you are really smoking and asking them to try it … peer pressure!”
—Gabrielle Braud, Business Report staff writer
“Wax lips and the wax bottles with the gross liquid inside. I loved those and I have no idea why. I can still smell the wax. Today I really like a Mary Jane Kiss. I love the way they almost pull your fillings out and you can’t check them fast enough.”
—Jill Stokeld, 225 advertising director
|
|
|
“The most memorable for me are these terrible things [at right]. To this day, I do not know the official name, so I affectionately refer to them as the ‘reject candy.’ Does anybody actually like this stuff? My mother-in-law used to have a special bowl of candy full of this reject candy designated for the bad kids in the neighborhood who trick or treated her house.”
—Jennifer Guillot, marketing director
[Editor’s note: They are taffy candies, but we’re not sure of the official name, either.]
“Reese’s Pumpkins. I don’t care what anyone says: the Reese’s seasonal shapes will always and forevermore taste 10 times better than a normal chocolate cup. If loving you is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right. A close second: Candy corn. I’m a sucker for good guys and underdogs—candy is no exception. Every tritone coned morsel is like a Yellow #6 and Red #3 explosion of sugar in my mouth. That’s why I schedule dentist appointments in November.”
—Sierra Crump, director of research
For the sake of research (and photo opportunities!), we went out and bought most of the candies mentioned. And then, of course, we ate them all. Tell us your favorite classic Halloween candies in the comments below.