The 1980s were a great time for Halloween candy. During this decade, many classic Halloween treats that are still popular today were introduced. In the 80s, candy brands got creative with new flavors, textures, and packaging designs that made the Halloween candy aisle bursting with options. Here are some of the best and most memorable 1980s Halloween candy treats.
Reese’s Pieces
Reese’s Pieces first hit the market in 1978, but didn’t gain widespread popularity until they were featured in the 1982 movie E.T. After that, Reese’s Pieces became a go-to Halloween favorite. The colorful peanut butter candy shells with chocolate inside were a unique twist on classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Nerds
Tiny, crunchy, tart and sweet – these bite-sized candies developed a cult following when they were introduced in 1983. The dual-flavored boxes with flavors like grape/strawberry and peach/orange made them a novel candy choice for the time. Nerds were perfect for pouring out and snacking on while trick-or-treating.
Pop Rocks
All kids of the 80s remember the popping sensation of eating Pop Rocks, first released in 1976. By the 80s, they were a Halloween staple. Popping candy was a relatively new concept at the time, making these crunchy candies that fizzed and popped in your mouth a must-have Halloween novelty.
Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum
This bubble gum first emerged in 1979 and became popular during the 80s as a way to chew something fun while trick-or-treating. With longer-lasting flavor and more flexible bubbles than regular gum, Hubba Bubba was perfect for chomping on all night long. The iconic bubble-blowing Hubble Bubble Boy also made Hubba Bubba synonymous with Halloween.
Fun Dip
Lik-M-Aid hit the American landscape in the 1940s, but it gained new life in the 1970s thanks to a new name
The rebranded Fun Dip first came out in 1973 but didn’t gain widespread popularity until Willy Wonka candy brand owner Nestle acquired it in the late 80s. The sweet and sour sugar sticks packaged with an edible candy stick made Fun Dip a sensation with the after-school snack crowd and a new favorite Halloween candy.
With their bright packaging, fun textures, and sweet and sour flavors, these new candies of the 80s were must-haves on Halloween night. They made trick-or-treating extra exciting and still give an instant nostalgic sugar rush today. The 80s offered some of the most creative Halloween candy inventions that became iconic for the decade.
Here are some more descriptions of popular 1980s Halloween candies:
SweeTarts
These small, brightly colored tart candies in flavors like cherry, orange, lemon and grape were a popular Halloween treat. With their crunchy shell and chewy center, Sweetarts provided a burst of sweet-and-sour flavor that kept trick-or-treaters coming back for more. The compact size made them easy to stash in a Halloween bucket.
AirHeads
These stretchy, chewy taffy candies wrapped in shiny packaging emerged in the mid-1980s. With playful flavors like Cherry Fizz, White Mystery AirHeads quickly became a favorite Halloween candy thanks to their bold fruit flavors and unusual pliable texture. Kids loved stretching the Airheads into quirky shapes.
Jolly Rancher Lollipops
With flavored lollipop flavors like watermelon, green apple, and blue raspberry, these lollipops were a refreshing treat while walking house to house. The distinctive shiny wraps and hard candy exteriors that gradually dissolved into chewy centers made these pops a treasure to collect on Halloween night.
Laffy Taffy
These taffy candies wrapped in colorful foil were first produced in the 1970s but didn’t gain widespread fame until the 1980s. With stretchy texture and fun flavors like banana and strawberry, Laffy Taffy bars were a popular inclusion in trick-or-treaters’ stashes. The silly jokes on the back of each wrapper added extra laughs.
Blow Pops
Blow Pops allowed trick-or-treaters to satisfy both their candy and gum cravings. With a hard candy lollipop exterior wrapped around bubblegum, Blow Pops were a novel new sucker introduced in the late 1970s. By the 80s, these lollipop-gum duos were a Halloween necessity.
Here are some additional descriptions of popular 1980s Halloween candies:
Skittles
These colorful fruit-flavored candies emerged in the early 1980s as a unique alternative to chocolate bars. With a hard sugar shell encasing a chewy fruity center in flavors like strawberry, grape, orange and lemon, Skittles offered a taste spectrum perfect for Halloween. The slogan “Taste the Rainbow” grabbed kids’ attention.
Runts
Runts first came out in the early 80s and were an innovative candy thanks to their petite size and variety of fruit flavors like banana, lime, orange and strawberry in one box. Their crunchy candies coated in a thin shell were perfect for eating by the handful on Halloween night.
Big League Chew
Introduced in 1980, this shredded bubble gum designed to look like chewing tobacco was a novelty. Kids loved stuffing wads of the pink cotton-candy flavored gum into their mouths while trick-or-treating. The gum came packaged in a resealable pouch to keep it fresh.
Candy Necklaces
Wearing necklaces made of tiny candy beads was a rite of passage in the 80s. These shiny candy beads on stretchy string allowed kids to nibble on candy as they walked house to house. Candy necklaces were made even more fun when traded and shared with friends.
Whatchamacallit
These chocolate-coated peanut flavored bars wrapped in bright packaging were first produced in 1978 but rose to prominence in the 80s. Whatchamacallit’s crispy rice, caramel and peanut layering complemented the chocolate for an addictive candy bar.
