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Worst Halloween Candy: Is there such a thing?

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worst halloween candy, many bins of candy

Apparently there is such a thing as a worst Halloween candy. This is the candy a Trick-or-treater will throw away or trade first. Each year, different organizations take polls and surveys to come up with the top ten best and worst candies, supposedly in an effort to help parents when they go out shopping for candy for Trick-or-treat. However this year, candystore.com evaluated the results of a dozen different polls, including Huffpost, Mental Floss and Bon Apetit, then took their own poll to arrive at a definitive list of best and worst Halloween candy.

I took my own Facebook poll, asking my friends and followers which candy they would not eat, even if it was the only candy they got for Trick-or-treat.

Polling my people

I gave my friends a choice of the following candies, which are on this year’s definitive top ten worst Halloween candy:

In alphabetical order:

  • Bit-o-honey
  • Candy corn
  • Circus peanuts
  • Good&Plenty
  • Licorice
  • Necco Wafers
  • Peanut Butter Kisses
  • Smarties
  • Tootsie Rolls
  • Wax Cola Bottles

First of all, I don’t have many friends, so this poll is by no means scientific. However, it proved to me something I’m sure pollsters had not considered (sarc): everyone has different tastes. While some of those who responded to my poll insisted they would never let one of these poop-candies, as one friend called them, pass through their lips, when pressed, most were able to pick one that stood above the rest as gag-worthy.

The results of my poll

Which is your favorite Halloween candy? is a much easier question to answer. Snickers, M&Ms, Reese’s Cups, etc. The full-size bars, of course. But my friends had to debate their least favorite. Many could not choose one until I asked them to picture themselves on a desert island with only these candies. Which candy is so bad, they would rather starve than eat it? Here are the results of my worst Halloween candy poll:

Circus Peanuts, Wax Cola Bottles and Licorice tied for first (or last?), as long as we are talking about BLACK licorice.

Candy Corn, Smarties and Good & Plenty tied for next with one vote each.

My friend Judy added Mallow Cups to the list.

No one knew what Necco Wafers were.

My sister-in-law Peggy staunchly accepted death by starvation.

My husband wanted to know how he ended up on a desert island with bag of crappy candy.

Authoritative ‘Worst Halloween Candy’ poll

Bit o’ Honey is number 10, the best of the worst, the lesser of the evils. Bit o’ Honey was not mentioned by anyone on my poll, so I assume others find it a tolerable bad candy. I am glad to see it live another year since it is a candy I enjoy when I have no other choice.

The official tally from candystore.com has candy corn at the top of the worst candy list. This surprised me. I happen to like candy corn. I like how it appears in stores early in September, right around the time farmers here in the Mid-Atlantic begin to harvest their corn. I like how it feels smooth and waxy on the tongue, then turns to pure sugar when you bite into it. And if you happen to find some in the bottom of your Trick-or-treat bucket leftover from last year, it still tastes as good as it did fresh from the bag.

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