The most popular candies on Halloween are probably the ones you’re thinking of right now, however, candy is enjoyed all year long. In 1894, Milton S. Hershey introduced his version of an American-style milk chocolate bar, the first to come with a dedicated wrapper so that patrons could easily carry it around and eat it without getting their hands covered in sticky chocolate. Hershey opened up the first brick and mortar factory for making his bars two years later, and production and demand skyrocketed.
Today, tastes may differ between chocolate bars, gummy candies, or hard candies, yet the following confectionaries definitely wear the “most popular” candy crown:

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Named after Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese, who created this candy in 1928 and 1929. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have an outer chocolate layer and are filled with peanut butter-flavored cream. Likely the most ideal aspect of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is that you can eat one and share the other (or save it for later).

2. M&Ms
M&M candies were created in 1940 by Forrest Mars and his business partner, Bruce Murrie. It’s no surprise that M&Ms are one of the most popular candy brands on earth. Everyone loves taking this American classic to the movies. M&Ms feature a crunchy, colorful candy coated shell with an interior layer of chocolate (milk chocolate or dark chocolate). Today, you can find M&Ms in a variety of fillings such as almond, peanut, crispy (pretzel), mint, and the list goes on and on!

3. Gummi Bears
These soft, pliable, stretchable gummy bears are indeed one of the most popular candies in North America, and they’ve been around for more than 100 years. Gummi Bears were first created in 1922 by Hans Riegel, Sr., who worked at his family’s confectionery company Haribo (which is still successful today). Today there are over 400 flavors of gummy bears, including cola, apple, and grape soda, strawberry, blueberry, and lemon-lime! You’ll never get bored with a package of soft gummies. Especially when every handful is a surprise flavor.

4. Kit Kat
The first-ever Kit Kat was created back in 1935 by Rowntree’s of York (now Nestle). They were originally called “Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp,” but over time, these chocolate-covered wafer bar confections were given the name Kit Kat and known for their famous tagline “Have a Break”. Today, Kit Kat is available in many flavours including milk, white, and dark chocolate, but it’s the snappable individual chocolate wafer finger that make this a truly satisfying treat.

5. Hershey’s Kisses
The first Hershey’s Kisses were made back in 1907 by founder Milton S. Hershey, and these bite sized sweets were an instant hit! Still a favorite stocking stuffer to this day, chocolate kisses are small, individually wrapped candies made with cocoa butter which gives them that quintessential creamy, melt-in-your-mouth taste that we can’t get enough of. Designed in the shape of flat-bottomed tear drops, today they are available in a variety of chocolate flavors such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, candy cane, caramel, almond filled, mint truffle, hot cocoa, and even Santa hats for the holidays.

6. Skittles
This delicious fruity chewy candy comes in “a rainbow of flavors”, making them flavorful yet fun to eat at the same time. To date, over 40 million Skittles have been sold every day worldwide since their launch in 1979. Founder William Wrigley Jr., wanted the brand name to reflect what was inside these candies (and he succeeded), which is actually fruit juice and gelatin. There truly is something a package of Skittles for every palate including classic rainbow, sour Skittles, and even black forest cake, which offers a mix of milk chocolate, cherry cake, and vanilla flavor.

7. Jolly Rancher
Jolly Rancher is another popular candy brand that’s been around since 1950. These popular  hard candies were created by the Hershey Company, and offer a bold sweet fruit, and sometimes sour flavor, depending on the flavor. Today, you can find Jolly Rancher candies offered in gummy, square fruit chews, jelly beans, lollipops, gelatin desserts, gum, and soda form, in over 40 bold flavors such as black cherry, grapefruit, apple, and blue raspberry, which are among the favorites. Probably the greatest thing about classic Jolly Rancher candies is that they come in individually wrapped squares, so they won’t stick to your pocket or the inside of your purse. It’s almost a celebration finding one you forgot. They literally never go stale.