Only One State Picked Candy Corn As Its Favorite Halloween Candy, According To New Survey

If you want to start a playful debate on Halloween, an almost guaranteed way to get people fired up is to bring up candy corn. The little yellow, orange, and white candy is perhaps the most controversial seasonal candy in existence. Some people can't stand the very sweet, brightly colored, little candy triangles, while other diehard fans love the stuff, waiting all year for it to finally return to store shelves. There is a reason why some of us might find it off-putting, though. According to History, the candy, which was invented in the late 1880s, was designed specifically to look like chicken feed — not a very appetizing treat.

In 1898, a Wunderle Candy Company employee in Philadelphia named George Renninger took control over the recipe for the candy kernels. He began marketing the product as "Chicken Feed," and even included a rooster on the packaging. In the early 1900s, the candy corn took off in popularity as a cheap "penny candy," which children could purchase in bulk with their pocket money for about one cent. And although now candy corn is pretty much synonymous with Halloween, it wasn't closely associated with the holiday until the 1950s, when candy companies began heavily advertising the product during the month of October.

However, while candy corn is certainly a polarizing Halloween snack, it seems like overall it remains more beloved than it is hated. According to a recent survey published by Zippia, candy corn even secured the top spot as the number one favorite Halloween candy in West Virginia. However, it only reached number one status in one state, and lost out on the overall number one favorite candy to the chocolatey favorites Kit Kat and Twix. 

But while the sweet, colorful corn may have only ranked number one in West Virginia, the tri-colored candy has consistently ranked among the top three favorite Halloween candies in multiple states in recent years. According to Better Homes and Gardens, in 2021, a whopping 12 states, including Alabama, Idaho, and Maine, all ranked candy corn as their third most-purchased Halloween candy. Michigan and New Mexico even placed the corn second, just under Starbursts and Jolly Ranchers respectively, so it certainly still beat out lots of other Halloween confectioneries to secure those top spots. So no matter if you love or hate candy corn, there is no denying that it is a classic Halloween staple. It has been going strong for over a hundred years, and it sure doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.