HALLOWEEN CANDY HIERARCHY

Beth Kimmerle, a candy historian and taste expert (* Oh, come on! That CAN’T be a real job!) says that when it comes on selecting candy to hand out at Halloween, there’s the question of buying branded candy vs. generic or lesser-known candy. Kids want branded candy in part due to marketing because that’s what they are used to seeing. Kimmerle says buying branded candy also might be an effort to people-please. There’s a fear that if you hand out subpar candy, your reputation in the neighborhood will take a nosedive. Also, she says, with so many types of candy available during Halloween, children have created a hierarchy of the most desirable treats:
– King-size chocolate bars are often at the top, Kimmerle noted, because they’re so much larger than other bars and because parents don’t often let their kids indulge in a candy bar that big.
– For trick-or-treaters ages 8-12, non-chocolate candy is usually next on the hierarchy. Kids often want non-chocolate candies, like Sour Patch Kids. “Kids really seek out sour and extreme flavors,” Kimmerle said. “It’s something that they may not be able to get on a regular basis.”
– Kids’ third favorite would then be chocolate.
* Well, it’s not going to be Circus Peanuts and Bottle Caps, that’s for sure.
* What I’m hearing is, my kid won’t notice a few Snickers bars missing out of their bag. Excellent.
* A candy historian? Like when Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo because a sudden temperature spike caused all his troop’s Hershey bars to melt over their fingers and their rifles kept slipping?
* We really appreciate all this in-depth study into what Halloween candy to buy. And then we all go buy the cheapest jumbo bag of candy at Walmart.