The Midwest can't get enough of Halloween's most controversial candy, but people in Montana want nothing to do with it
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When it comes to Halloween, there are some candies trick-or-treaters clamor for and some they discard soon after they get home. As you might imagine, this varies from state to state and household to household. But no sweet treat is as polarizing as Candy Corn.
People generally fall into one of two camps for the tri-colored snack. They find it delicious or an affront to confectionery. That's likely due to the candy's consistency, which some people find waxy, and its hyper-sweet sugary taste.
Just as the candy divides people philosophically, there's also a geographic divide. Brach's, which is the top producer of candy corn, has issued a heat map to show which states love it – and which are less enthusiastic about it.
Somewhat fittingly, candy corn is most popular in the nation's corn belt. In fact, if it weren't for the Midwest, this national Candy Corn debate would be a lot more one-sided. Here are the states that are the most enthusiastic about the Halloween staple, according to Brach's:
1. Utah
2. Iowa
3. Kansas
4. Indiana
5. Missouri
6. Kentucky
7. Michigan
8. Colorado
9. Oklahoma
10. Minnesota
Brach's, as you would expect, didn't specifically call out the states that want nothing to do with Candy Corn, but its heat map, reflecting the treat's popularity, makes it quite clear.
Maine, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska, and Rhode Island seem to have no love for Candy Corn.
Candy Corn has been part of the collective candy conversation for over a century. Originally invented in the 1800s by the Wunderle Candy Company, it wasn't called "Candy Corn" until long after its creation. Initially, it was referred to as "Chicken Feed," since it resembled the corn used to feed poultry. It wasn't until the 1950s that it started being advertised as a Halloween candy.
While the extreme sweetness of Candy Corn might overwhelm everything, there are distinct flavors mixed together to create it. Technically, it's a buttercream flavor.
Candy Corn might have been invented by Wunderle, but it was the Goelitz Candy Company that first sold the candy. Goelitz has since changed its name and is today known as Jelly Belly (and, yes, they sell a candy corn flavored jelly bean as a nod to their past).
Jelly Belly is owned by the same parent company as Brach's: Ferrara. Ferrara is also the company that manufactures non-controversial brands like SweeTarts, Laffy Taffy, and Nerds. (Actually, forget that… it managed to make Nerds controversial with the introduction of Nerds Candy Corn in 2020.)
It might be highly debated, but Candy Corn still sells like crazy. More than 17,000 tons of the candy are produced each year. And, so far this spooky season, dollar sales of the candy are up 4.9% over the same period a year ago.
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