by Taylor Cotie

Spooky season is finally here. Halloween is right around the corner, which means candy has been overstocked on store shelves for the past couple of months. From its origins in the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, Halloween has developed into one of the most popular holidays in the United States. Halloween is not just about carving pumpkins and wearing scary costumes though, but also for trick-or-treating. 

In America, trick-or-treating has been a long-standing tradition for children and adults since the 1930s. On October 31, people in costumes go from house to house, knocking on doors and saying the phrase “trick or trick” while asking for candy. Trick-or-treating has a long history, originating from Scotland and Ireland during the sixteenth century. In North America, trick-or-treating originated around the year 1911. It is thought that the phrase “trick-or-treat” did not become common in Ireland until the early 2000s. Before this, children would say the phrase “help the Halloween party.” 

From the classic sweetness of candy corn to the chocolatey delight of Reese’s cups, these candies have become essentials in trick-or-treat bags across America. When looking at a global survey of the most popular Halloween candies across the country, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and M&Ms were voted as the top two. 

Curious to see what the most and least favorite candies were amongst students at GC, I interviewed several GC students from many different regions of the United States, a student from Canada and even one as far away as Australia. Surprisingly, our taste buds were similar. Some of the top favorites were Milk Duds, Twizzlers, Kit-Kat, Hershey’s and candy corn, with the top going to Reese’s, while Twix and Midnight Milky way bars tied for second. The top three candies that were voted the least favorite amongst GC students were candy corn, Almond Joys and Twizzlers.