A Definitive Ranking of The 25 Most Popular Halloween Candies

Ready to see which sweet treat reigns supreme on Halloween night? We've crunched the numbers and taste-tested our way through the top 25 candies to bring you the ultimate ranking.

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About this

A personal, anecdotal ranking of the 25 candies most likely to turn up in a trick-or-treat bag, ordered by their trade value in an imaginary Halloween candy economy. Each entry carries a short, opinionated note explaining its placement. The writer frames the list as a guide for negotiating swaps after trick-or-treating, based mostly on anecdotal evidence.

The list

Sour Patch Kids

Top prize; keep them at all costs, treat like sugar- and citric-acid-coated gold.

Twix

Greatest Halloween chocolate bar; fun-size bars usually hold only one Twix.

Hershey's Kisses

A classic that trades at a rate of 5 to 1.

Twizzlers

Hierarchy: Pull 'n' Peel over Strawberry, Cherry, Bites, Rainbow, then Nibs.

M&Ms

Hierarchy: Peanut Butter over Peanut over Milk Chocolate; peanut butter is best and rarest.

Reese's

Pumpkin-shaped ones rated worse due to chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio; classic cups better.

Whoppers

Delicious malt balls; expect one weird dud in every pack.

Nerds

All varieties taste the same: addicting.

Snickers

Author's favorite chocolate bar, but too abundant on Halloween for a top-five trade spot.

Kit Kat

Full-size worth three fun-size; greater than the sum of its parts.

Milky Way

Described simply as a Snickers without peanuts.

3 Musketeers

Described simply as a Milky Way without caramel.

Nestlé Crunch

Classic you wouldn't buy at the grocery checkout but fun to indulge in on Halloween.

Laffy Taffy

Banana flavor alone carries it to 14; otherwise it wouldn't crack the top 20.

Smarties

Author is Team Smarties for life.

SweeTarts

You either prefer SweeTarts or Smarties; author prefers Smarties.

Skittles

Would rise to number 10 if the green ones became lime again.

Junior Mints

Feels more like a movie candy than a Halloween candy, but still quite delightful.

Almond Joy/Mounds

Share a spot as practically the same candy; sing the jingle when you see them.

Butterfinger

Delicious but too messy; likened to Nature Valley granola bars.

Life Savers

Placed 21st with no further commentary from the author.

Candy Corn

Author loves it but calls it controversial; loose bowl candy has plummeting trade value.

Tootsie Rolls

Filler candy like baby's breath in a bouquet; cheap and abundant in pillowcases.

Bit-O-Honey

Author suspects anyone claiming to like it must be lying.

Dots

Author questions if gumdrops even count as candy; hard to trade away.