HONOLULU (KHON2) — Halloween has a tendency to spotlight the themes and desires of the zeitgeist.
And this year, RetailMeNot has found some and interesting trends.
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From candy to costumes, most all of us share the same likes and dislikes. This is why some things are more popular than others.
So, let’s take a look at you like.
Candy
RetailMeNot discovered that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular candy for Halloween and for trick-or-treaters.
This popular treat continues to be the favored candy option for those celebrating Halloween. But, the research found that it is a rather tight race between Reese’s and the runner up Candy.
Which candy is the runner up? Drumroll, please…
It’s Snickers. Reese’s took 32% of the vote while Snickers locked in 14% of the vote.
What other candies made the list; you may be asking. Well, here they are:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 32%.
- Snickers candy bars 14%.
- Hershey’s candy bars 10%.
- KitKats 10%.
- M&M candies 10%.
- Candy Corn 9%.
- Starbursts 5%
- Skittles 5%.
- Twizzlers 3%.
RetailMeNot also did a survey of Facebook posts to find out what candies we hate. These are the candies we hate:
- Licorice.
- Candy Corn.
- Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses.
- pink bubble gum.
- Circus Peanuts.
- sticky coconut bricks.
While Candy Corn is like by 9% of us, it appears that the other 91% of us hate them. And while M&M only came with 10% of liking them, they have this amazing program called the M&M Halloween Rescue Squad where they will bring candy to your door during Halloween if you run out of goodies to give.
Costume themes
While top 10 individual costumes this year have a pretty traditional list of favorites.
However, lots of us like to go out in groups; and sometimes, these groups like to create a theme around their party.
So, what do we like as group themes for Halloween? Let’s take a look.
Coming in at #1 are tried-and-true traditional Halloween monsters: vampires, zombies, witches, ghosts, werewolves….
Coming with 26% of the vote, they are traditional for a reason.
There are many ways to go about utilizing these legendary creatures of the night, from traditional perceptions to innovative modern interpretations. Have fun with it!
Our #2 slot is occupied by the movie Hocus Pocus with 18%. Are you going to be Winifred, Sarah or Mary?
These witches have become iconic symbols for the fun and spooky.
The movies Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are fun adventures that allow audiences of all ages to enjoy them. So, of course, they make a super popular Halloween costume theme.
Wednesday Addams and the Addams Family got 17% of our votes at #3.
The original series that broadcast in the 1960s became an instant sensation amongst those of us who love the macabre. Wednesday, as the original Goth Girl treats her world with antipathy and shows her detractors what a strong female can do when not hindered by sexualized stereotypes.
Is she feminist hero? You be the judge of that.
Barbie comes in on the heels of our beloved spooky family at #4 with 16% of the votes.
Reviled for decades as a symbol of post-WW2 neo-liberal femineity, Barbie has been reborn for our total enjoyment.
It’s pink everything with this theme, and it’s super easy to achieve since Barbie is just like one of us, right? Anyway, with all the many characters that make up Barbie’s world, there is no shortage of looks and ideas to make the pretend come alive.
Super Mario Brothers continues to be popular and garnered 14% of the votes at #5. It’s a video game that has spawned some of the most beloved characters.
Whether you’re a Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach or any of the number of characters that make up this world, your entourage is guaranteed to turn heads when the group of fantastical characters walk into that Halloween party.
Finally, coming in at #6 with 14% of the vote is Stranger Things. It tied with Super Mario Brother, which is a pretty astounding feat since SMB is a much older concept.
Like the rest of the list, this is great for keiki or adults. We love the worlds created in this story, and Halloween is the perfect opportunity to delve into it.
Whether you want to be one of the scary monsters or one of our plucky heroes, this theme lends for a pretty diverse approach to the theme.
There we have it. A guide to some of the most popular candies and themes you will be seeing this Halloween.
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So, go out and have some fun but remember to be safe while you are out there. Danger tends to creep around when it’s spooky out.
