There are few foods in this world that are more divisive than candy corn. Regardless of whether you love it, hate it, or simply tolerate it, there is no denying that candy corn is one of the most distinctive treats of the fall season. Read on for the history of this candy, as well as how you can use this iconic treat.

Candy Corn Once Associated with Chicken Feed

While candy corn is now typically associated with Halloween, it was first connected to chickens. Initially created in the 1880s, the original tri-colored candy was designed to look like chicken feed during an era when roughly half of the country worked on farms.

During this time, candy companies used mellowcreme to create treats in the shapes of pumpkins, turnips, and other products associated with the agricultural industry. With half of the U.S. labor force working in this industry, it made sense to lean into the theme with candy that would delight children familiar with the farming world.

Most people credit George Renninger for inventing the three-layered colorful candy. Renninger was an employee at Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia. According to the National Confectioners Association, Wunderle is known as the first company to sell the treats made with sugar and corn syrup.

Although Wunderle gets the recognition of creating the candy, it was the Goelitz Candy Company that ran with it and made it the popular treat that it is today. Goelitz started using the recipe in 1898, calling the candy "chicken feed." It is interesting to note that the Goelitz Candy Company is now the Jelly Belly Candy Company.

Corn at the time was seen as coarse and cheap, better suited to pigs and chickens than the dinner table. Instead, corn was used to feed chickens and pigs. This is because there was no sweet hybrid corn back then, the type of corn that is consumed by people today. As such, corn during this era was not as delicious as it is now, making it more appropriate for animals than humans.

It was not until wheat shortages that developed during World War I that Americans started to look at corn as a food fit for human consumption. Until the war and the resulting food shortages, only the poorest people in the U.S. would use corn, corn flour, or corn meal in their cooking.

Despite corn becoming more mainstream as food, candy corn was still associated with chickens after World War I. The packaging of the candy in the 1920s had a rooster with the tagline "King of the Candy Corn Fields." It was not long after that candy corn became known as a "penny candy," a term used to describe treats that kids could purchase at a small cost.

Candy Corn Now Tied to Halloween

Although people today associate candy corn with Halloween, it was not tied to the holiday when it was first invented. In fact, you could find the candy on Thanksgiving and Easter holiday tables.

It was not until Halloween became a holiday tied to candy in the 1950s that candy corn emerged as the treat associated with the spooky season. According to Samira Kawash, author of Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure, in The Atlantic, “There was a dramatic spike in October advertising of candy corn beginning in the 1950s. Other kinds of candy were advertised for Halloween too, but they were advertised just as heavily during the rest of the year.”

Candy corn lovers can find the confection all year long in American grocery stores. However, it is clearly most popular during the month of October. The National Confectioners Association estimates that over 35 million pounds of the treat are sold every year in the U.S. It even has its own day of recognition with the National Candy Corn Day on October 30.

Most people choose to enjoy the candy straight up. Other ideas include using it as a mix-in to add color and sweetness to popcorn or peanuts. The composition of the candy makes it easy to melt, allowing creative cooks to mold it into other fun treats. Or try topping desserts such as Rice Krispies Treats with candy corn to add a festive touch on Halloween or Thanksgiving.

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