After surveying over 160 people about their favorite Halloween candy, we’ve come up with some very interesting results!

Over 40% of the school agrees that Reese’s

Peanut Butter Cups are the best Hershey’s chocolate candy. This delicious peanut butter and chocolate combination has a long history dating back to 1928. Originally called a Penny Cup because of its cost, Reese’s now has over 100 different variations. While the candy versions are the most popular, Hershey also produces Reese’s Cereal, Cookies, Pretzels, and Ice Cream. The least popular chocolate candy, liked by only 7% of students, was Almond Joys (created in 1946). Even though Hershey is best known for its chocolate, they have plenty of non-chocolate candies too. In fact, 52% of the surveyed students claim Jolly Ranchers are Hershey's best non-chocolate candy. This popular sucking candy was made in Colorado in 1949 and originally had only three flavors: grape, apple, and Fire Stix. As popularity grew, new flavors like cherry, lemon, peach, and pineapple were added. Nowadays, Jolly Ranchers are sold in cherry, blue raspberry, grape, apple, and watermelon flavors. Only 3% of the school prefers Good and Plenty, making it the least popular non-chocolate Hershey candy.

According to the survey, the student’s favorite Mars chocolate candy is Twix (41%), and the least favorite is Three Musketeers (7%). In 1967, Twix was released in the UK under the name Raider. The candy’s name stayed the same until 1991 when it was officially changed to Twix. There are many speculations about where the name Twix came from. However, most people seem to agree that it was derived from “twin” and “stix” or “twin” and “mix.” Starburst, the students' favorite Mars non-chocolate candy (40%), also has a very interesting backstory to its name. Invented in 1960 in the UK, the original name, Opal Fruits, was chosen by Peter Pfeffer, the winner of the naming competition. In 1998, the name was officially changed to Starburst because of the burst of flavor at each bite and to draw interest from the Space Race. Back in 2007, Starburst released a commercial to promote their new Berries and Cream Starburst flavor. The “Little Lad Dance” or “Berries & Cream Song” has now gone viral on Tiktok with over 300 million views. One candy that isn’t getting millions of people’s attention is Juicy Fruit, which was preferred by only 3% of people.

Sour Patch Kids, known for their catchphrase “Sour then Sweet,” are East students’ favorite gummy candy (36%). Originally called Mars Men in the late 1970s, the name was changed to Sour Patch Kids in 1985 to capitalize on Cabbage Patch Kids’ popularity. With tons of flavors and variations, sales of Sour Patch Kids reached $184.9 million last year, making it the nation’s best-selling gummy. On the flip side, the survey’s least popular gummy is Airheads Rainbow Sour Belts (10%). Over 57% of the school agreed that Milk Chocolate is the best variation of chocolate.Even though chocolate has been around for centuries, it wasn’t until 1875 when Swiss chocolatier, Daniel Peter, perfected milk chocolate’s recipe. Milk chocolate is so popular that it’s estimated that every person in the US consumes 11 pounds of chocolate each year! Despite milk chocolate’s popularity, 31% of students claim that dark chocolate is better, and 7% claim that white chocolate is the best.

The students also had preferences for candy’s flavor and size. The most popular flavor of candy was blue raspberry (31%). Despite what its name suggests, there's nothing natural about the artificial blue raspberry flavor. This beloved flavor first appeared in 1958 in Cincinnati, but it continued until the 1970s when it really took off in popularity. Another important aspect of Halloween candy is its size, with 39% of students preferring king-sized candy.. The word king-sized was first used on a candy bar in the 1980s, it instantly became one of the most sought-after types of candy on Halloween. As expected, 57% of the school prefers sweet candy over sour or salty ones. The preference towards sweeter foods is attributed to the release of pleasurable chemicals, like serotonin and dopamine. Additionally, genetics plays a role in how a person perceives sweetness and how much they enjoy it.

East High School’s favorite candy is… Twix and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups! Both of these delicious candies tied for first place, with the runner-up being Sour Patch Kids. Some students were asked why they preferred Twix, and they responded simply with “because it tastes good.” Although people also prefer Reese’s mainly for the taste, many people said they also liked them “because of all the options and flavors available.”

Overall, the student body seems to have a pretty diverse taste in candy. Whether it be sweet or sour, chocolate or not, it’s next to impossible to go wrong with gifting someone a delicious piece of candy. Happy belated Halloween!

Timeline of the evolution of candy wrappers and flavors: