» News Room : Seasonal : Halloween : Halloween Fun Facts 2004

Halloween Fun Facts

The celebration of Halloween started in the United States as an autumn harvest festival with corn-popping parties, taffy pulls and hayrides. The tradition of “trick-or-treating” dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England, during which poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

Halloween treat trends

  • More than 93 percent of children go trick-or-treating each year. (NCA poll)
  • Eighty-four percent of kids ranked candy and gum as the top items they hope to receive when they go trick-or-treating. (NCA poll)
  • Ninety percent of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids' Halloween trick-or-treat bags! (NCA poll)
  • Bite-sized chocolate candies are the post popular type of candy to be included in 2004 Halloween activities (76 percent), followed by bite-sized non-chocolate candies (30 percent). To capitalize on this trend, candy manufacturers are continuing to introduce more bite-sized candies that enable consumers to eat one small treat at a time and enjoy candy as part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. (NCA poll)
  • Twenty-six percent of households are planning to include full-size candy (chocolate and non-chocolate) in their 2004 Halloween activities. (NCA poll)

Candy trends

  • Flavor – Candies flavored with dulce de leche, caramel, tropical and spicy flavors are earning the loyalty of the fast-growing Hispanic market in the United States.
  • Novelty – Candies from candy vampire fangs to gummy tarantulas to lip pops satisfy kids' taste for fun treats they can play with as well as eat.
  • Packaging – What the candy comes in is almost as important as the ingredients. Some of the latest trends include glow-in-the-dark and themed wrappers/packaging, re-sealable packaging for portion control, and bite-sized portions for portability.
  • Diet – The diet candy category, including low-carb, low-sugar and sugar-free offerings, has grown roughly 90 percent over the last year but still represents only three percent of overall candy sales.
  • Past experience and flavor rank as the top two reasons consumers purchase one type of candy over another. (NCA poll)

Eaten appropriately, candy can fit into any balanced diet and active lifestyle. For more information about Halloween candy and trends in the candy industry, please visit www.candyusa.org .