SumoCoupon
Forget those mini chocolate bars as the go-to Halloween treat. If you live in New York, you’ve got Blow Pops on the brain. In Arkansas, you’re talking Laffy Taffy. And in New Mexico, you’re foregoing candy altogether in favor of a shiny new lead pencil.
Such are the results of a research project undertaken by SumoCoupon, a savings site, to determine the “most trending” Halloween candy in each state. By analyzing data from Google, the SumoCoupon team was able to see what Americans are discussing when it comes to sweets – all the way from West Virginia (candy corn) to Wisconsin (Reese’s Pieces) and Connecticut (Life Savers) to Colorado (Mamba fruit chews).
Certainly, chocolate treats remain high on the list: Kit Kats, for example, are the trending favorite in four states (Nevada, Illinois, Mississippi and Wyoming). But other states seem to follow their own idiosyncratic, sugar-coated path. In California, wax lips, a retro favorite, are suddenly hot. And in New Jersey, Bubble Tape (think gum in the shape of, well, tape) is proving popular.
Of course, analytics may say one thing, but not everyone will necessarily agree with the findings. Paul Bongiorno, a longtime resident of Maplewood, N.J., says he doesn’t hear a lot of discussions about Bubble Tape on his block come Halloween time. “Usually, there’s just a lot of chocolate,” he says.
Then again, in some states, according to SumoCoupon, candy is taking a backseat to other items altogether. Residents of New Mexico indeed have a thing for pencils. Vermont residents like their raisins. And Ohioans go for apples.
The latter example doesn’t surprise SumoCoupon spokesperson Cristina Lachowyn, an Ohio native. What’s trendy today was also trendy in her childhood, she notes. Still, there’s nothing to say those apples can’t be covered in something sweet. “Caramel apples were a big part of Halloween when I was growing up,” Lachowyn says.
