As I've grown older, Halloween has become more and more of a chore than the birthday-/Christmas-level-excitement day it used to be. My friends bemoan the ritual of dressing up in painstakingly picked costumes. Our trick-or-treating has been replaced with bar-hopping. Free candy with expensive booze. In short, some of that childhood magic has tired and faded. But there is something that keeps one last sparkle of those Halloweens past: all the limited-edition candies that my twentysomething heart still desires.
Yes — year after year, fall after fall, pharmacy shelves are packed with glistening bags of candy corn, Reese's, and Snickers pumpkins, Cadbury Screme Eggs, and oh so many more. So don't give up on Halloween, because Halloween-pushing candy companies will never give up on you.
Read on to remember some of your favorites (RIP Ghost Dots) and keep that spooky spirit alive.
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Easter candy's scary Halloween counterpart — green, oozy, and delicious.
Photo: Courtesy of Hershey.
These little pops were the Hope Diamond of my Halloween loot — the chewy caramel shell is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Photo: Courtesy of Tootsie.
York Peppermint Pattie Pumpkins
What could be better than a York? A pumpkin-shaped York with an orange-mint filling.
Photo: Courtesy of York.
The ultimate OG of Halloween candy, this stuff will undoubtedly be around post-apocalypse.
Photo: Courtesy of Brach's.
These ghost peeps are spooky.
Photo: Courtesy of Peeps & Company.
Still just a Reese's, but shaped like a Halloween pumpkin.
Photo: Courtesy of Reese's.
Dove deftly jumps into the Halloween scene with appetizing edible eyeballs.
Photo: Courtesy of Dove.
The packaging of Kit Kat's Darkness bar is very mysterious, very mysterious indeed...
Photo: Courtesy of Target.
Spooky Jolly Rancher Gummies
I'm feeling spooked...are you?
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.
Still love this classic (and scary) marshmallow treat that oozes berry-flavored goop.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Crate.
Mike and Ike's Mummy's Mix appeals to the edgier Halloween-candy crowd (I imagine this mummy is probably into longboarding).
Photo: Courtesy of Peeps & Company.
Some may call them boring; I call them classic and delicious AF.
Photo: Courtesy of Natural Candy Store.
This new M&M's Halloween flavor is pun perfection.
Photo: Courtesy of M&M's.
Ah, Pop Rocks — not so much of a candy as a strange activity in your mouth.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Crate.
Snickers has absolutely nailed the scary pumpkin shape. We love you, Snickers.
Photo: Courtesy of Snickers.
Pez tastes like hard sugar dust, but these dispensers were irresistible candy-doling mechanisms.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Crate.
What magical flavors is the Skittles Cauldron cooking up?!
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Warehouse.
Just holding a fluffy, sugar-crusted pumpkin Peep takes me back.
Photo: Courtesy of Peeps.
Life Savers is competing with Jolly Ranchers for the spookiest of gummy shapes.
Photo: Courtesy of Walmart.
Do you "dare to find what's inside"? We're pretty sure it's a bat shape etched into the milk-chocolate bar.
Photo: Courtesy of KitKat.
Damn, Dove — you had us at edible eyeballs.
Photo: Courtesy of Target.
These pumpkin pops are a must for repping some Halloween spirit.
Photo: Courtesy of Charms.
This is dark, SweeTarts.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Crate.
Nerds Rope is kind of like a sticky fly tape with bugs (nerds) attached — so in this case, we get the spooky connection.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy Crate.
Forget pumpkins, Twix is going all out with ghosts.
Photo: Courtesy of Twix.
Frankenstein's favorite.
Photo: Courtesy of Starburst.
Peeps has a brand-new marshmallow on the Halloween scene: cute little monster toes.
Photo: Courtesy of Peeps & Company.
"Boo!", "Scary!", and "Creepy!" may or may not capture our feelings while eating these kisses.
Photo: Courtesy of Target.
Thank you, HI-CHEWs, for joining the Halloween-candy market.
Photo: Courtesy of HI-CHEW.
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