There are often movie tie ins with candy, but they are most often just a packaging change. For the second of The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, Vosges Chocolate has released an interesting set of products themed with the movies characters and settings.

The Capitol Truffle Collection - $225.00

A ritual of degustation, this truffle collection is curated to guide your palate through opulence and ritual. The 18 different truffles in sets of two are an exploration of shape, texture, color and flavor. Rosemary with a touch of pink peppercorn is encased in pure, white chocolate. Coconut and banana are combined with dark chocolate and rolled in coconut charcoal ash. Candied walnuts and milk chocolate are thick and chunky, rolled in cocoa powder– to name a few…

Underneath the colorful truffles, 16 compartments await, each cradling a treasure to forward the degustation. Small vials of crushed violet petals, pearl dust, gold leaf and matcha tea are accompanied by detailed mixology instructions to create decadent libations. Trinkets and objects of desire dictate social rules and traditions.

The Capitol Truffle Collection includes: 36 truffles, accoutrements, and a menu of etiquette and recipes to serve an extravagant 18 course chocolate tasting

As a point of reference, a 32 piece truffle collection is $75.00. I don’t know what these other menus and recipes and accoutrements add to this, but it appears that it nearly triples the price. There is no smaller version of this either ... you just have to be willing to plop down the full $225 to get Catching Fire truffles.

The Hunger Games Katniss Chocolate Bar

Quiet your mind and engage each of your senses in preparation for this unique, cinematic chocolate experience. Breathe in the deep, smoky aroma of the bar before taking a bite. Let the rich milk chocolate melt on your palate, and savor the subtle, salty crunch of hickory smoked bacon accented by sweet, crisp apples.

Katniss chocolate bar parfum includes: apples pierced uncured hickory smoked bacon + alderwood smoked sea salt + 44% cacao milk chocolate.(Retail $7.50)

Contains: milk, soy, gluten free (not all the bars are). Manufactured in a facility that handles tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, milk, wheat and soy.

I have to say, these are not flavors I would have quite picked out to represent Katniss ... but she’s definitely an unconventional girl. So an unconventional bunch of flavors would suit her. I have to say that it seems a bit fussy for her though.

The Hunger Games President Snow Chocolate Bar

Breathe in the aromatic tartness of the orange and chocolate before taking your first bite. Allow the chocolate to melt in your mouth, while the release of the bittersweet citrus caramel punctuated by nips of blistering pepper permeates your palate.

President Snow chocolate bar parfum contains: Blood orange & tellicherry peppercorns caramel + 72% cacao dark chocolate

Again, I’m not an expert on The Hunger Games at all, but if I understand this bar, it’s supposed to emulate the damaged feeling of the President’s mouth since he poisoned his political opponents?

The Hunger Games Effie Chocolate Bar

Breathe in the fragrant aroma of sweet strawberries before taking your first bite. Allow the bittersweet chocolate to melt on your palate, and savor the bar’s fruity bouquet and the pleasing crunch of candied French violet flowers.

Effie chocolate bar parfum includes: dried strawberries + candied violet flowers + 62% cacao dark chocolate

This bar actually seemed quite suitable for the character. Some light touches of excess but an undercurrent of seriousness with the dark chocolate.

This is the most interesting of the bunch of the bars, I actually saw these at Walgreen’s priced at $3.99, though they’re $4.99 on the Vosges website. You can get the full “book” of bars shown above or buy the bars individually. Each is themed for a different district. The inclusions and flavor profiles are ... well, quite a stretch.

Wild Ophelia Bars - retail $3.99
DISTRICT 12 - Mining: mined salt + 41% cacao milk chocolate
DISTRICT 11 - Agriculture: harvest cherry + 70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 10 - Livestock: beef jerky + smoked mesquite + 41% cacao milk chocolate
DISTRICT 9 - Grain: milled oats + vanilla hemp seeds + 70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 8 - Textiles: caramelized crispy rice +70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 7 - Lumber: smoked chipotle chili + 41% cacao milk chocolate
DISTRICT 6 - Transportation: crunchy runner peanuts in peanut butter + 41% cacao milk chocolate
DISTRICT 5 - Power: crispy crunchy caramel corn +70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 4 - Fishing: sea salt + coconut + 70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 3 - Technology: arabica coffee + crystal salt + 70% cacao dark chocolate
DISTRICT 2 - Masonry: caramel + pecan + 41% cacao milk chocolate
DISTRICT 1 - Luxury: rare harvest cashews + 41% cacao milk chocolate

You may now commence your rants or analyses of how this licensing seems more like District 1 partnering/exploiting the kids than anything faithful to Katniss and her friends.

Related Candies

1. Haribo The Smurfs Gummi
2. Wild Ophelia Milk Chocolate Bar Peanut Butter & Banana
3. Sky Bar Twilight Saga - Eclipse
4. Vosges Bombalinas - Black Pearl Cashews
5. Vosges Haut Chocolate Skulls
6. Snickers Nougabot Bar & Transformer M&Ms
7. Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bats (Dark Knight)
8. Snickers Shrek
9. Vosges Truffles - Fall 2006

While on vacation last month I picked up some candies from the bulk bin at a candy shop. They were individually wrapped compressed dextrose Candy Rings. There was no label on the bin and nothing on the wrapper, so I can’t be sure of the brand.

I found three flavors: Cherry, Lemon and Lime.

They’re 1.33 inches wide and 1.6 inches tall. They’re flat, about a quarter of an inch thick. There’s a little gem design on the crest of the ring, two circles with a diamond shape in the center. It’s a clever bit of design, they’re stamped out like giant pills instead of being molded like most hard candies.

As adornment they’re not very comfortable. The rings are sized for small fingers, so they fit on my pinky and barely on my ring finger. The bands are chunky. With a file I suppose I could have made the ring hole bigger for my middle finger, as I think that would work best given the size of the ring. The design is cute, and the pieces are sizable.

I know that there have been a few makers of a few different kinds of compressed dextrose candy rings over the years. The version I got as a kid, I recall, was much chalkier and easier to bite than this version. They’re quite dense, like eating a piece of fired porcelain instead of some school chalk.

The flavors are mild, more sweet than tart, more perfume in most cases than flavor. The compressed dextrose they’re made from is less sweet than sucrose, but also lacks the full buoyant mouthfeel of sugar. Cherry is lightly tangy with an awful lot of jammy florals and a hint of cough syrup. Lemon was quite bland with even less tang than the cherry.

I prefer my SweeTart type candies a bit more chalky. I like less density, a little more air in them so that they can be crunched. I also prefer more flavor ... and maybe some other flavors. But for a cheap little wearable treat, these were passable. I’m glad they’re still around.

Related Candies

1. Trolli Gummi Bear-Rings
2. Bratz Candy Cosmetics
3. Peeps Lollipop Rings
4. Ausome Jewelry Kit
5. Oriental Trading Company Candies

After experiencing the lackluster Super Caramel Apple Blow Pop last week, it’s a wonder that I was still looking for the Candy Corn Super Blow Pop. An astute reader said that Walgreen’s was carrying them (which is where I found the Caramel Apple version) so I tried what I call the Super Walgreen’s in Hollywood. It’s near the Arclight Cinema/Cinerama Dome and Amoeba Music, so it was easy to find a reason to be over there this weekend. The store is like a movie set of what a Walgreen’s should be (and maybe it is used as a set for their commercials). The cosmetics have LED lights on each shelf, the aisles are wide and they have a snack bar and prepared sushi in a refrigerated section. And of course there’s a huge candy aisle that’s both clean and has a wide selection. It bears virtually no resemblance to the Walgreen’s where I usually shop in Echo Park, which isn’t even 5 miles down the same road. (Though the staff at both is quite good, no complaints.)

Their seasonal aisle had a good selection of the specialty Halloween items (though not as much bagged candy as other places like Target or KMart). I found the Super Blow Pops there on sale at 50 cents each, so I bought two. Instead of an opaque printed wrapper, this version of the Blow Pop uses a clear wrapper to show off the candy inside, something I’ve not seen them use on the Blow Pop line before. There are only two colors on this, orange and yellow ... there’s no white top on the layers.

The candy part of the Blow Pop is just like the flavor of the Charms Candy Corn Lollipops. It’s a mellow, salty sort of butterscotch without the creamy texture. I found these far brighter and more fun to eat, as the colors were sparkly, unlike the Caramel Apple version which was downright depressing with its brown and dark green. However, the sparkle in this case was created by adding some air to the hard candy, this can create sharp areas as it dissolves. Because the pop is so large, this meant I had a couple of sore spots on my tongue by the time I finished.

The gum at the center smelled terrible, just like the Caramel Apple version. There’s some sort of caustic chemical scent to it and the chew is stiff at first. Biting it sounds like tearing a phone book, a multitude of ripping layers all at once. It softens up and in this case, the flavor is pretty bland. It does become a bubble gum eventually, for a few minutes there’s a right balance between flavor and sugar before it all gives up and becomes like a wad of chewed paper. I’m not sure what flavor the gum is supposed to be, it’s not green apple, it’s not colorful ... it might have been butterscotch.

The initial experience was probably better than any other I’ve had with a Blow Pop this year, but that’s not saying much. But I’ll go ahead and give this a positive review, if you want a jumbo butterscotch Blow Pop, this would be the lollipop for you. It’s pretty, it’s pretty cheap.

Charms pops are made in a nut free and gluten free facility, but always check the labels or call the manufacturer if you’re in doubt.

Related Candies

1. Charms Super Blow Pop Caramel Apple
2. Charms Candy Corn Pops
3. Werther’s Original Hard Candies
4. 6 Candy Corn Candies That Aren’t Candy Corn
5. Whitman’s Candy Corn Marshmallow
6. Puffy Candy Corn
7. Charms Blow Pops & Zip-a-Dee

Name: Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups
Brand: Nestle
Description: The cup just got crunchy!
Introduction Date: January 2014
Notes: I have no doubt that Butterfinger can make a good peanut butter filling, but I have to wonder if the chocolate cups will be any good. Their actual Butterfinger Bar is pretty waxy and tasteless. But the package says something about being part of Nestle’s Cocoa Plan for certified sustainable cocoa, that would certainly set them apart from Hershey’s which is still not using cocoa that is certified to come from slave-free sources. The product launch will get a commercial during the Superbowl, which is pretty wild since Mars has the official sponsor spot with their Snickers & M&Ms spots.

Name: Lancaster Caramels
Brand: Hershey’s
Description: The surprisingly soft, rich and creamy Lancaster Soft Cremes provide a modern caramel taste experience to meet a growing consumer demand. The soft cremes were inspired by similar candies that company founder, Milton Hershey, made more than 120 years ago in his original candy company located in Lancaster, Pa. Three flavors at launch: Caramel, Vanilla and Caramel and Vanilla and Raspberry.
Introduction Date: January 2014
Notes: This brand was launched in parts of China earlier this year that went well enough that they’re going to bring them out here. (No word if they’re making them in China, but I have my doubts they would.)

Name: Werther’s Original Caramel Popcorn
Brand: Werther’s Original (Storck)
Description: Perfectly popped corn wrapped with rich and creamy Werther’s Original Caramel. The Caramel Popcorn for Caramel Lovers!
Introduction Date: 7/1/2013
Notes: I’m really curious if these are made in Germany like the other Storck products. Which might mean that this uses non-GMO corn, which would be an intriguing prospect for some folks who eschew many candies because of the GMO corn products used in them (mostly corn syrup). Ultimately, I’m never sure if caramel coated popcorn is a snack or a candy.

Name: Werther’s Original Baking Caramel
Brand: Werther’s Original (Storck)
Description: Rich and Creamy Caramels great for baking making delicious caramel apples! Easy to unwrap!
Introduction Date: 7/1/2013
Notes: I like that they feature the statement that they’re easy to unwrap, it looks like they’re twisted like the regular Werther’s caramels. I can attest that those Kraft caramels in their clear plastic are a devil to unwrap.

Name: Jelly Belly Camo Beans
Brand: Jelly Belly Candy Co
Description: The new Jelly Belly Camo Beans were inspired by the art of camouflage. Sportsmen, military and outdoor enthusiasts will discover seven Jelly Belly bean flavors in a camo-colored mix: Chocolate Pudding, Green Apple, Licorice, Juicy Pear, Orange Sherbet, Toasted Marshmallow and Watermelon. With Jelly Belly Camo Beans, the company continues its initiative of supporting U.S. troops. For every bag of Camo Beans sold, Jelly Belly Charities will donate $0.25 to support U.S. veterans and their families.
Introduction Date: 10/1/2013
Notes: It’s a strange assortment of flavors, with watermelon and orange sherbet right next to chocolate pudding and licorice ... so many things could go wrong.

Name: Fruit Vines Bites
Brand: American Licorice
Description: Building off decades of loyal followers of the Red Vines brand, American Licorice Company is helping candy lovers “live on the sweet side” with the launch of Fruit Vines Bites – soft, chewy bite size candy packed with fruit flavors designed to give everyone a new candy experience.
Introduction Date: Early 2014
Notes: I’m not sure what the difference between Fruit Vines will be and the Grape Vines that have already come out ... unless these are more like the Natural Vines.

Name: Ovation Mint Filled Break-A-Part
Brand: SweetWorks
Description: SweetWorks is introducing a new flavor to the Ovation Break-A-Part family: Mint Filled! It’s an all-natural dark chocolate sphere that breaks into 20 individual slices and each segment is filled with a cool mint center. The 6.17 ounce sphere will retail for $3.99
Introduction Date: November 2013
Notes: This sounds like an After Eight mint formed into a break-apart orange. It’s a great idea, though I wonder how messy it might end up if the center is flowing like a Junior Mint.

Name: Ovation Milk Pumpkin Spice Break-A-Part
Brand: SweetWorks
Description: Milk Chocolate Sphere infused with all-natural pumpkin flavoring. “Breaks apart” into 20 slices The 6.17 ounce sphere will retail for $3.99
Introduction Date: September 2013
Notes: I was surprised to see the ingredients listed not only spices like ginger and nutmeg but also natural pumpkin flavoring. Pumpkin Spice is all the rage, and this one sounds like it’s actually made with good ingredients, so I hoping to find one soon for review.

Images courtesy of the respective candy company

Update 10/31/2013 - An earlier version of this post listed Welch’s PB&J Snacks, but I was just informed that the information is not accurate, so I have removed it.

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease: Mars 2014
2. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo - Part 2
3. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo - Part 1
4. Candy Tease: Bar None, Reed’s and Regal Crown Sours
5. Candy Tease: October 2012

Tootsie is always a go-to brand for Halloween candy, as they make the popular Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops and Charms Blow Pops. Though some adults like to rank them on the Worst Halloween Candy lists every year, they wouldn’t keep making them if someone wasn’t buying them and eating them enthusiastically.

Tootsie has two new Super Blow Pops out for Halloween this year: Charms Super Blow Pop Caramel Apple and Charms Super Blow Pop Candy Corn. I couldn’t find the candy corn version (though I did find the flat Charms Candy Corn Pops), so I wanted to go ahead with this review of the Caramel Apple version.

The Super Blow Pop line is a beefy version of the standard Blow Pop. The regular Blow Pop is .65 ounces, the Super Blow Pop is 1.125 ounces. As a point of reference, a single Starlight Mint is about 5 grams, so this pop is like eating 6 or 7 mints in one sitting.

The pop is structured in layers, the center is bubble gum, the middle layer is green apple hard candy and the outer layer is caramel flavored hard candy. It’s an odd combination and I’d say my initial impression was not good. The caramel flavoring was just that, flavoring with a heavy dose of artificial butter. There was a little hint of salt, so that was interesting. After getting to the apple layer (which was very dark green) I did start noticing a good combination of the two, the falseness of the butter combined with the reassuringly fake green apple flavors.

The texture was a little more ... sandy than I like in my hard candy. It wasn’t completely smooth, though the bubbles were minimal. The size of the pop means that there’s a lot of lollipop before you can crunch to the center.

The most surprising part is the center. It’s not pink bubble gum. It’s green. The texture was horrible, biting into it, it was like packaging material. When I bit off a piece, it sounded like I was pulling apart the paper stick. The smell was bizarre and I can only say that it reminded me of the Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels. (Maybe it’s a mix of the smell of asphalt, gasoline, diesel and apple juice.)

I wanted to like this, mostly because I found the Tootsie Caramel Apple Pops to be quite fun. It just kept getting worse as I got closer to the center. I can only hope that the Candy Corn version was better.

Charms Pops are made in a facility that’s gluten free and peanut free.

Related Candies

1. Charms Candy Corn Pops
2. Jolly Rancher Caramel Apple Lollipops
3. Russell Stover Big Bite Caramel Apple
4. Limited Edition Milky Way Caramel Apple Minis
5. Werther’s Original Caramel Apple Filled
6. Tootsie Caramel Apple Pops
7. Caramel Apple Sugar Babies
8. Charms Blow Pops & Zip-a-Dee

If you like Charms Blow Pops and thought to yourself that you’d be happier with just the candy and not the gum, they make that. They come in rectangular foil packs called Assorted Charms.

There are five flavors: Cherry, Strawberry, Lemon, Lime, Green Apple, Orange, and Raspberry and 10 pieces in the package.  They’re not necessarily distributed evenly among the flavors. I got three cherry and three lime while I only got one lemon, one green apple and one orange.

The fun things about Charms are that they’re square but have a little dimple in the center, and that they’re individually wrapped. So they’re less likely to end up as a sticky single piece like Life Savers. (Of course there’s no pineapple or tangerine in their flavor assortment.)

I’ve seen old candy ads that show that they used to come in single flavor packages, but the only way they sell them now is in the mixed flavors.

The pieces are just shy of 3/4 of an inch square.

I like the individual wrappers, as I’m the kind of person who likes to eat the flavor I want, not the one dispensed to me. It’s actually pretty easy to dump them out of the packet without tearing it, and then put them back.

Orange is nice, well rounded, a little tart but not very complex. Raspberry was good, it’s very floral with an overall soft flavor and a hint of tartness. The Cherry is like time traveling to the 70s for me. It’s not quite as “black cherry” as Life Savers, but of course has the same taste as the Cherry Blow Pop. Strawberry is interesting, as it’s pretty uncommon flavor for hard candy. I didn’t care much for it, it was more like a watery popsicle than jam. Lime is quite citrusy, though not very sour. There’s a lot of zest to it, and even a note of bitterness. Green Apple was nice, it was extremely mild at first, but then warmed up with a lot of juice notes. Lemon was a little too tepid for me, I was hoping for something like a sour ball but it had more sweetness than tart/zest notes.

There’s a lot to like here about the simplicity of the candy. The flavor assortment is different from Life Savers, though I can’t say that they’re better or worse. The packaging is truly charming and simple. The package holds only 1 ounce, so you can’t really feel too bad for chomping through all 10 pieces. There’s no nutrition label but hard candy is usually 95 to 100 calories per ounce ...so these are unlikely to be more than 100 calories per package.

There’s no info on the package about allergens, though other Charms products are gluten and peanut free (but please check before consuming).

Related Candies

1. Honees Honey Filled Drops
2. Tootsie Pop Drops
3. Charms Blow Pops & Zip-a-Dee
4. Tootsie Pops - Regular & Super Sized
5. LifeSavers
6. Blow Pop Minis
7. Goodbye Reed’s

Lindt has a new line called Hello, but I also noticed this array of single serving bars at several drug stores and Target over the past few months. I picked up a full set (or at least I think it’s all of them - at the time I wrote this, I couldn’t find them on their website).

The packaging is very simple with a color coding that made it easy to check that I had all of them. (I had to go to two stores.) They’re small portions, at 190-230 calories per bar, they’re not too filling.

The Lindt Wafer Bar is described on the package as Milk chocolate with wafer and creamy hazelnut filling.. The little picture shows that the wafer part is like a flattened tube inside the hazelnutty center.

The actual bar I got wasn’t as much like the picture as the others, which were exactly as depicted. In this case, the first section contained only hazelnut paste (so the photo is of the second section). The wafers do not take up nearly as much volume as I’d hoped, so the effect is milk chocolate bar with a lot of hazelnut (nothing wrong with that) and a little bit of wafer.

The wafers are malty and less sweet than the rest of the bar. The milk chocolate is very sweet as is the filling, so it’s kind of throat searing at first. The mix of textures and flavors is quite good though, I like the Lindt milk chocolate in small bites, it’s very creamy and though it has a dairy note to it, it tastes fresh, not like dried milk. Perhaps I’m looking at the wrong brand, but I wanted more hazelnut in there, it seemed more cream than hazelnut. (But maybe I’m just used to the Ferraro style.)

The Lindt Cresta Bar is the only one of the assortment that has anything that resembles an invented name instead of just a description.

The bar is: Milk chocolate with hazelnut cream filling and pieces of almond brittle.

This bar is bigger than the first one, at 1.3 ounces. It feels hefty as well.

The milk chocolate bar looks the same as the Wafer bar, glossy and light milk chocolate. There’s a whiff of cereal about it and a hint of hazelnut but mostly it smells sweet.

The chocolate is smooth and has a milky melt to it, kind of like pudding. The center is very crunchy, with little bits of almond in the hazelnut cream. It’s not terribly nutty, but very sweet with just a hint of salt to it. Overall, the filling was good, the textures nice and the proportions very well done ... but I wanted it to be less sweet.

The final bar simply called Lindt Dark Chocolate Hazelnut. Unlike the other bars, which were made in Austria, this one was made in Italy. Perhaps to be closer to hazelnuts.

The package says that the bar is Dark chocolate with hazelnut filling and whole hazelnuts. And so it is.

It’s the biggest bar of the assortment I picked up, as well, at 1.4 ounces. It’s also the fattiest, at 164 calories per ounce. If I’m going to spend twice as much on the bar, I’d better be getting something high quality in there.

The bar is stunning. Three molded hazelnut sections in glossy dark chocolate. The dark chocolate looks great and smell a lot like roasted hazelnuts and coffee.

The chocolate is buttery and has a good melt, although like many Lindt chocolate, it might be a little too slick on the tongue and not enough chocolate flavor in there.

The hazelnut center is fantastic. The hazelnut paste is soft and has a great fresh flavor and though it’s sweet, it’s not too sticky. The whole hazelnut is crisp and crunchy and I believe blanched to remove the skin, which keeps away some of those bitter notes.

Of the three bars, this was my favorite, though it could benefit from darker chocolate.

I don’t see myself picking them up again, as interesting as I thought they were. They’re overpriced, though my guess is that perhaps in Europe they’re more economical. It’s odd, because the Hello Crunchy Nougat was a very similar bar to the Wafer, but twice the size for the same price. They also don’t use natural vanilla, it’s artificially flavored, which makes me wonder if there may be cut corners elsewhere. I think I’ll stick with Ritter-Sport’s Knusperflakes and Dark Chocolate Whole Hazelnut but if I feel like spending a little more, I’d step up to the Gardini Bitter Chocolate and Gianduia with Sea Salt.

Related Candies

1. Lindt Hello Crunchy Nougat
2. Gardini Bitter Chocolate and Gianduia with Sea Salt
3. Nestle Crunch Noisettes
4. Poco Dolce Hazelnut Bar
5. Ghirardelli Squares Milk & Hazelnut Crisp
6. Ferrero Eggs: Hazelnut & Cocoa
7. M&Ms White Chocolate (Easter)

When a candy season comes around, I take special interest in what’s new, what’s returning and trends on the store shelves with holiday candy. Here’s the 2013 Halloween shopping roundup.

Last week I was invited to participate in the Nosh Show podcast, we’re talking about candy and a bit about Halloween candy. You can listen to the Nosh Show:

TRICK OR TREAT
I haven’t decided what I’m giving out for Halloween yet this year. I’m planning to make use of the leftover Jolly Rancher Caramel Apple and Charms Candy Corn Lollipops from my reviews and probably some Airheads, since the kids in the neighborhood seem to like those. As for the chocolate items, I don’t know yet. Last year I gave out Unreal Candy, which is ethically sourced and uses natural ingredients. I’d like to find another chocolate candy that is certified (not using child slaves), but it’s hard to find candy items for kids that are well priced (we have about 40 kids visit) and also of actual interest to kids.

HERSHEY’S
I didn’t see any new items from Hershey’s this year for Halloween, but most of the old favorites have returned.

MARS
Mars also seems to be playing it safe, with only a few new items and returning items, but mostly Halloween themed regular items.

NECCO
Necco always seems to list some interesting things, but I never see them in stores.

FERRARA CANDY (Includes FARLEY’S & SATHERS and BRACH’S)
There have been some big changes in these companies over the years. In the past 10 years alone Brach’s has been sold, sold again and now acquired through the Ferrara Pan acquisition of Farley’s and Sathers last year. Brach’s candy corn, one of their iconic candy products, moved production to Mexico about 2 or 3 years ago and I don’t think it tastes the same any longer. But I have high hopes for the new company making the most of each of the candy brands in its division and perhaps even improving the quality.

That aside, Brach’s seems to be their only brand with seasonal candies, though Lemonheads and Trolli Gummis are available in treating packaging.

TOOTSIE
Tootsie has been making some great Halloween candies for years. I’ve always enjoyed Tootsie Pops but their newer introductions feel fresh but still like modern classics.

(review) Available in snack packs for Trick or Treat

JUST BORN
Just Born makes a few varieties of Peeps for Halloween and some Hot Tamales and Mike and Ike for treating.

NESTLE & WONKA
Wonka had a hug flurry of innovative products for a few years, but has settled back into treat packaging without much in the way of seasonal specific flavors/iterations.

RUSSELL STOVER
I’m always fond of Russell Stover’s pumpkins, since their holiday candies are really the only time I buy the brand. There are a few new ones this year that are in line with Russel Stover’s strengths.

WRIGLEY’S
I didn’t see much new from Wrigley’s. I think they’re hiding from trick-or-treaters because they’re afraid they’ll get egged over the Lime to Green Apple Skittle switch. Their brands include Life Savers, Starburst and Skittles plus some gum brands that I rarely see in trick-or-treat packaging.

JELLY BELLY
Jelly Belly is a bit too upscale for trick-or-treat candy. But it’s fun for gifting or setting out for parties.

OTHER COMPANIES:

NOT RETURNING:

Have you seen anything new & exciting in stores this year? What are you planning to give out to kids, if they come to your house?

Related Candies

1. M&Ms Pumpkin Spice
2. Starburst Original Fruit Flavored Candy Corn
3. Halloween Candy Spotting 2012
4. Limited Edition Milky Way Caramel Apple Minis
5. M&Ms White Chocolate Candy Corn
6. Halloween 2010 Product Run Down
7. Halloween Dots: Bat, Candy Corn & Ghost