Photo: David Dee Delgado / Getty Images
For most American kids, it wouldn’t be Halloween without candy; however, that was not always the case.
When the custom of asking for sweets began in the decade of 1930 and principles of 1940, children were given everything, from homemade cookies and pieces of cake to fruit, nuts, coins and toys.
In the decade of 1950, candy makers started getting involved and promoting their wares for Halloween and as trick-or-treating deal became more popular, candy was increasingly seen as an affordable and convenient offering.
However, it was not until the decade of 1970 that wrapped and factory-made candies were considered the only acceptable thing to distribute among all the little ghosts and goblins that appeared on the doors of the houses.
A key reason for this was security, as parents feared that real-life boogeymen might tamper with unsealed, store-bought treats
Today, when it comes to Halloween candy, several of the most popular brands are enduring classics.
For example, Hershey’s first milk chocolate bar occurred in 1900 and the kisses Hershey’s made their debut at 1907. Company founder Milton Hershey pioneered the mass production of milk chocolate and turned what had once been a luxury item for the wealthy.
In 1930, a Minnesota-born candy maker, Frank Mars , launched the Milky Way bar, which became a bestseller.
In 1930, introduced the Snickers bar, supposedly named after his favorite horse, followed by 1932 for the 3 Musketeers bar.
Another crowd-pleasing Halloween candy, the bar Kit Kat, was first sold in England at 1935 as Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp and in 1937 was rebranded as Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp.
The name is said to be derived from a London literary and political group, the Kit-Cat (or Kit Kat) club, established in the late 17th century. The group’s nickname is believed to be an abbreviation for the name of the man who owned the store where the group originally met.
Since 1991, the brand has been owned by Nestlé, maker of another perennial trick-or-treat favorite, the Nestlé Crunch bar, which debuted at end of the decade of 1930.
And of course, no Halloween would be complete without sweet corn, which was invented in the decade of 1880 by George Renninger of Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia. Other companies continued to produce their own versions of the tricolor candy, none longer than Goelitz Confectionery Company (now Jelly Belly Candy Co.), which has been making it since 1880.
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