The Bottom of the Bag: America’s Most Despised Halloween Candy
Every Halloween candy bowl has a few pieces that seem to get passed over again and again. But some of the treats people love to hate have surprisingly loyal fans, too.
Candy Store’s 2026 Halloween candy ranking puts 10 treats at the bottom of its list, based on responses from 3,200 customers. The ranking is a snapshot of participating customers, not a verdict from every American. And with Halloween now behind us, these are the candies most likely to spark arguments over leftovers, trades, and childhood memories.
Here is the countdown, starting with No. 10.
Smarties
The classic American Smarties are the small candy discs sold in rolls, with a powdery texture that makes them instantly recognizable. Candy Store placed them No. 10 in 2026, down from No. 8 in 2024. They may not have the richest texture in the candy bowl, but their familiar roll format has been part of Halloween for generations.
Almond Joy
Coconut is the defining feature of Almond Joy, and that is exactly what makes it such a divisive Halloween choice. Candy Store ranked it No. 9 in 2026, making it a new addition to the published worst-candy top 10.
There is an interesting twist, though. Candy Store’s separate sales projections put Almond Joy first in Connecticut and Missouri. So being near the bottom of one ranking clearly does not mean shoppers everywhere are leaving it behind.
Black Licorice
Black licorice has a flavor that is difficult to mistake for anything else. Candy Store placed it eighth in 2026, compared with seventh in 2024, and treats it as its own category rather than lumping it together with red Twizzlers.
That distinction matters because the candy bowl experience is very different depending on which type you grab. Black licorice remains one of those treats that can inspire a strong reaction in either direction.
Mary Janes
Mary Janes bring together peanut butter and molasses in a chewy candy. Candy Store ranked them seventh this year, down from fifth in 2024.
Their old-fashioned flavor profile makes them stand out among more familiar chocolate and fruit candies. They are also easy to confuse with other vintage-looking Halloween treats, but Mary Janes are a distinct candy from Peanut Butter Kisses, which appear separately in the ranking.
Wax Coke Bottles
Wax Coke Bottles have one of the strangest formats in the Halloween candy world. A verified example, Tootsie’s Nik-L-Nip, comes as miniature wax bottles containing fruit-flavored liquid, with the company promoting the experience as “Bite ’Em, Drink ’Em, Chew ’Em.”
Candy Store placed Wax Coke Bottles at No. 6, unchanged from 2024. The appeal is less about a conventional piece of candy and more about the unusual process of opening, drinking, and dealing with the wax bottle itself.
Necco Wafers
Necco Wafers are thin candy wafers that come in flavors including orange, chocolate, licorice, and wintergreen. Candy Store ranked them fifth in 2026, compared with fourth in 2024.
Their texture has long been part of their identity, with the ranking commentary describing it as chalky. That makes Necco Wafers particularly distinctive compared with chewy, sticky, or chocolate-centered Halloween candy.
Peeps
Peeps may be best known for their familiar marshmallow shapes, but Halloween brings ghosts and pumpkins into the mix. These seasonal versions are sugar-coated marshmallow candies, giving them a very different look from the chocolate bars and wrapped chews that dominate many Halloween bowls.
Candy Store placed Peeps at No. 4 and listed them as a new entry in its worst-candy top 10. That does not mean Peeps themselves were a new product in 2026. The “new” distinction belongs to their appearance on this particular ranking.
Peanut Butter Kisses
Peanut Butter Kisses landed at No. 3 in 2026, moving down from No. 2 in 2024. Their orange-and-black wrappers are often more recognizable than the name, making them one of those Halloween candies that can be identified before the label is read.
Candy Store separates them from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s Kisses, and Mary Janes. That makes the ranking’s No. 3 spot a judgment about this particular candy category, rather than a verdict on every peanut-butter candy.
Circus Peanuts
Circus Peanuts moved from No. 1 in 2024 to No. 2 in 2026. Spangler describes its version as an orange, peanut-shaped marshmallow candy with a banana flavor.
That combination is part of what makes Circus Peanuts so unusual. They look like peanuts but taste like banana, creating a candy experience that does not exactly follow what its shape suggests.
Candy Corn
Candy corn takes the top spot in Candy Store’s 2026 worst-candy ranking, moving up from No. 3 in 2024. Its familiar kernel shape and strong connection to Halloween make it one of the most recognizable seasonal candies around.
The ranking commentary focuses on its sweetness and texture, but those observations should not be confused with individual explanations from every person who participated. Some people clearly have strong feelings about candy corn, but that does not mean everyone in the survey voted against it.
Being disliked does not mean being unsold
Here is where the Halloween candy debate gets interesting. Candy Store’s separate sales-based projection places candy corn eighth nationally and first in Maryland, North Dakota, and Utah.
That analysis uses Halloween-season sales data from 2008 through 2025 to project 2026 demand. In other words, a candy can rank poorly in a preference survey and still sell plenty of pieces.
Maybe that is the real lesson from the bottom of the Halloween candy bag. The candies people love to complain about can still have a place in the tradition, whether they are traded away, saved for later, or quietly claimed by the person who actually likes them.
After all, every unpopular candy seems to have someone willing to take the last piece.
