By Ruthie Prasil
I’ve been trick-or-treating on and off for 28 years or so. I took a break in my teens, and then picked it back up once my oldest daughter was 4.
When I was younger I would get home and organize my candy into piles: things to be eaten immediately, things to be saved for coming weeks, and candy to be given to my brothers or parents.
Now that I have kids and I’m the boss of everything, I just go ahead and do the organizing. But instead of a pile to be given to siblings or parents, I just throw that stuff away.
What is in that pile exactly? I really shouldn’t have to tell you, but I will anyway: Tootsie Rolls, Twizzlers, knock-off gummies, Tootsie Pops (everyone knows that Blow Pops rule everything) and anything with coconut. I thought it was common knowledge that these are the worst candies to distribute on Halloween, but I did a little research and not everyone agrees.
I did a very scientific short poll among my friends, co-workers, and cellphone contacts (several of whom I had no clue who the number belonged to). Let me tell you something: people are disgusting. Mentioned twice on the “best Halloween candy” list? TOOTSIE ROLLS. Luckily, the majority of adults know that chocolate and peanuts in some form are the best. I also asked what the worst Halloween candy is, what age kids should stop trick-or-treating and the very best scary movie. Look at the chart below to see the top three answers in each category.
There were many unique responses. Who knew there were so many obscure Halloween candies (and that people actually pass out Swedish Fish)? As far as best scary movie was concerned, after the top three listed, it was “The Ring,” “Halloween,” and “Scream,” with lots of others thrown in (“Jaws,” “Hocus Pocus,” “The Village” and “Children of the Corn,” to name a few).
Do your own research and figure out what the most popular candy is to give out in your neighborhood. Hey teachers, if you want to be really cool, assign this as math homework.
Kids, you’re welcome.
Prasil is a Clarkston mom of six. She survives on stale goldfish crackers, spontaneous adventures, happy hour and early bedtimes. She can be reached via email at ruthieprasil@gmail.com
