Americans love candy. So much that on average we eat 22 pounds of the sugary stuff every year. That’s over 10,000 M&M’s a year to put it into perspective. Whether you grew up in 1950’s or 1980’s, there was always candy to eat and share with family and friends. And we all had our favorites. In fact, we were able to round up America’s favorite candies ranging from the year 1945 all the way to 2000. Some of these were some of the most popular Halloween candy of the year, others were the year the candy was invented, but one thing is for sure– all these candies are delicious.
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The history of candy in America goes back before the 1900’s, but before the 1940’s it is harder to track down which were the most popular. All we know for sure is that as classic as candy corn is, it’s never the most popular candy in the plastic pumpkin.
The 1940’s brought some of our favorite chocolate candies we still eat today. Trick-or-treat!
1945 – Tootsie Roll
1946 – Candy Buttons
1947 – Mounds
1948 – M&M’s
1949 – Junior Mints
Hey, Mama welcome to the fifties! The age of rock and roll brought us sweet treats like candy cigarettes, which were at one point banned due to their look-a-like nature to their tobacco counterpart.
1950 – Hot Tamales
1951 – Whoppers
1951 – Smarties
1953 – Candy Cigarettes
1954 – Peanut M&M’s
1955 – Good and Plenty
1956 – Marshmallow Peeps
1957 – Charleston Chew
1958 – Candy Necklaces
1959 – Pez
The Beatles, the moon landing and oh yea, SweeTarts, Pixy Stixs, and Razzles. The 60’s were a time of fruity flavors and fun textures.
1960 – Pixy Stix
1961 – Lemonheads
1962 – SweeTarts
1963 – Now & Later
1964 – Cadbury Creme Eggs
1965 – Dum Dums
1966 – Razzles
1967 – Starburst
1968 – Zotz
1969 – Chupa Chips
Put on your pedal pushers and disco on down to the movie theater to munch on fun candies like Fun Dip and Laffy Taffy. Perhaps catch the evening showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
1970 – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
1971 – Laffy Taffy
1972 – Bottle Caps
1973 – Fun Dip
1974 – Charms Blow Pops
1975 – Pop Rocks
1976 – Everlasting Gobstopper
1977 – York Peppermint Patties
1978 – Whatchamacallit
1979 – Twix
It’s time to gather around the radio and listen to Madonna and Michael Jackson will snacking on nerds and sour patch kids.
1980 – Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
1981 – Ring Pop
1982 – Reese’s Pieces
1983 – Skittles
1984 – Nerds
1985 – Sour Patch Kids
1986 – Airheads
1987 – Gummy Candies
1988 – Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape
1989 – Symphony Bar
The 90’s are alive! Lollipops and gum took the lead in this decade.
1990 – Big League Chew
1991 – Eclipse Gum
1992 – Dove Chocolate Bars and Squares
1993 – Warheads
1994 – Starburst Jelly Beans
1995 – Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Creme Bar
1996 – Caramel Apple Pops
1997 – Surge Soda
1998 – Baby Bottle Pop
1999 – Jolly Rancher Lollipops
And let’s not forget about this candy inspired by the Harry Potter franchise.
2000 – Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
Whatever your age, make sure to grab a few pieces this year out of the Halloween dish.