Life

Love It Or Hate It, Sour Patch Kids Candy Corn Halloween Candy Is Baaack

by Shannon Evans

For those of us who have just barely finished the mad dash that are the "back to school" days, it seems awfully early to be thinking about Halloween. Can I get a moment to catch my breath before diving in to plans of whose going to wear what costume and how I'm going to find them all? But to my chagrin, candy companies are cranking out Halloween-themed goodies as early as August now, and one of the varieties creating the most buzz has me feeling highly skeptical. Sour Patch Kids Candy Corn returns this Halloween after debuting in 2017, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'm here for it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not averse to some sweet and sour goodness. After all, the original Sour Patch Kids candy punctuates all of my childhood and teenage memories (especially the ones that took place at a movie theater, because apparently 15-year-old me had more money than 35-year-old me does). But I've never been a fan of candy corn, and merging the two just seems wrong.

But if Frankford Candy, the company that creates and distributes Sour Patch, is putting the seasonal treat out for a second year in a row then maybe I'm in the minority. After all, just because I wouldn't buy it doesn't mean millions of other people won't.

According to the Frankford Candy website, Sour Patch Kids Candy Corn comes in a bag of mixed grape and orange flavored corns. You know, because grape is such a classic seasonal flavor.

The candy corn is coated with Sour Patch's signature sour sugar dusting, and the bag promises that the flavor is "sour then sweet". The good news is, since its hitting the shelves so early you have time to grab a bag long before Halloween and decide whether or not the novelty merits a place at your holiday festivities. If not, you can chuck the bag and go for the tried-and-true Snickers bars.

If you're braver than I am and are willing to throw down a few bucks to give it the old college try, Refinery29 reported that the seven ounce bag of candy can be purchased at Walgreens, CVS, BJ's Wholesale Club, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Meijer, Kroger, and Safeway.

Candy fans are a house divided when it comes to Sour Patch Kids Candy Corn; just like with regular candy corn, it seems people either love it or hate it without a lot of margin in between. One big name on the "love it" side is the famous Instagram account @JunkBanter, who picked it up at a local Dollar General and reported, "I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like them. Going with only orange & grape was a bold, bold move, but I’m especially in love with the grape. It has a powdery sweetness and tastes like a sour, kickass version of Big League Chew. The orange is less special but good nonetheless. The best part about this candy corn is that is doesn’t taste remotely close to candy corn."

Reporting that it doesn't taste like candy corn is a good start to getting me to try it, though I still have my doubts. But if I throw a Halloween-themed party I might put out a bowl just to watch people's reactions. Because something tells me this candy is going to result in some passionate debates.