Candy Corn

 

1.) Candy Corn was created in the 1880s by George Renninger, who was employed by the Philadelphia Wunderle Candy Company, now named Jelly Belly Candy Company.

2.) Candy Corn was originally called “Chicken Feed.”

3.) “Chicken Feed” initially had no association with Halloween

10125485-large
4.) Candy Corn, once was more associated with chickens than with Halloween. See this ad for Goelitz’s Candy Corn from the late 1800s that has the tagline, “Something worth crowing over.”

o-CHICKENFEED-570
5.) Because of the tedious nature of preparing the candy it use to be only available during March and November

6.) Originally the candy was made by hand

7.) Manufacturers first combined sugar, corn syrup, carnauba wax, and water and cooked them to form a slurry. Fondant was added for texture and marshmallows were added to provide a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds. Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.

8.) The recipe remains basically the same today. The production method, called “corn starch modeling,” likewise remains the same, though tasks initially performed by hand were soon taken over by machines invented for the purpose

9.) Candy corn was such a success it “carried the company through two World Wars and the Depression”Jelly Belly

10.) After WWII, candy corn was advertised as a Halloween candy and since then there hasn’t been a Halloween without candy corn.

11.) In 1950, the price of candy corn was just 25 cents per pound.

1951-goelitz-candy-corn

12.) The National Confectioners Association estimates that 90 billion pounds (just over 9,000 metric tons) of candy corn are sold annually.

13.) Jonathan Shenkin, a pediatric dentist and an American Dental Association spokesperson, told HuffPost that candy corn is one of the worst Halloween candies for you because it’s essentially “all sugar.” He also says unlike chocolate bars that contain other ingredients and “clear quickly from the mouth,” there’s no way to “buffer the sugar” from candy corn, allowing the sugar to stay on the teeth longer. “It’s like putting a cavity-inducing injection into your teeth,” Quote
14.) The Bagel Store, with two locations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, sells a seasonal Candy Corn Bagel every year.

www.pinterest.com

15.) The Chew has its own candy corn martini recipe.

16.) Comedian Lewis Black has dedicated an entire sketch to hating candy corn, saying it’s “the only candy in the history of America that’s never been advertised” because companies keep recycling all the old candy corn we never eat year after year. Hater!

17.) Other existing variations- Manufacturers now produce “Indian corn” (with a brown end instead of yellow) for Thanksgiving, “Reindeer corn” (red and green) for Christmas, “Cupid corn” (red and pink) for Valentine’s Day, “Bunny corn” (white and various bright colors) for Easter and “Freedom corn” (red, white and blue) for July 4.

Candy Corn Collage

18.) Celebrate National Candy Corn Day on October 30.

19.) It is believed that this day was chosen due to the fact that sales of the candy are typically the highest on the 30th.

20.) Once opened, store candy corn covered and away from heat and light at room temperature; it should last approximately three to six months. If unopened, the packaged candy corn will last about nine months.

21.) Amy Erickson posted a recipe on her food blog, Oh Bite It!, where you roll three or four candy corn kernels in a ball of dough and deep fry it. Wonder how that taste!

fcandy11

22.) Have you ever heard this weird, brainwashing Nick Jr song by Moose .A. Moose & Zee called “I Don’t Like Candy Corn” (sorry this is the best video I could find).

GET CREATIVE WITH CANDY CORN!

23.)Try this Halloween Candy Corn Popcorn Hand Food Fun recipe:

popcorn hands

24.) Try this Homemade Candy Corn Recipe:

Homemade-Candy-Corn.H-620x400

25.) Try Candy Corn Donuts:

candy-corn-donuts-3

26.) Can you sew a Candy Corn pillow? Check out this tutorial.

Easy-to-Sew-Candy-Corn-Pillow-Tutorial-BusyBeingJennifer.com_-681x1024

27.) A Candy Corn Math printable for your First Grader.

ca3

28.) Check out these Candy Corn themed craft ideas

15-candy-corn-projects-481x600

29.) Check out these Candy Corn themed decoration ideas

Candy Corn Decor

 

30.) Check out these cute Candy Corn poems

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_corn
http://www.candyfavorites.com/blog/candy-corn-history/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/17/candy-corn-facts_n_5961586.html
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/recipes/the-history-of-candy-corn/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/28/living/candy-corn-facts/