1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody, and happy Halloween. We know a lot 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 1: of folks are missing out on trigger treating this year 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: because of the pandemic. The CDC has listed traditional trick 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: or treating as a higher risk activity, and a lot 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: of communities have canceled or modified their usual Halloween celebrations. 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: So we thought we would close out October this year 7 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: with our previous episode on the history of Halloween candy, 8 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: since if you can't trick or treat, you can, we 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: hope at least have the treat part, whether it is 10 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: candy or some other thing that you love many so 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: much candy corn. Uh. This episode does conclude with a 12 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: discussion of poisoned candy tragedies, So if you are not 13 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: up for that today, uh, that discussion picks up after 14 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: the second ad break and you just skip it. Yeah, 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: And this originally came out on October Welcome to Stuff 16 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: You Missed in History Class, a production of I Heart Radio. Hello, 17 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm 18 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: Tray Phoebe Wilson. So I know, uh, as we've been 19 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: leading into Halloween, we've been doing some thematic things, and 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: I know the episode on the Valiska acts murders. It 21 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: was pretty grim, so I apologized that was a little 22 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: too dark for anybody. So I thought to close out 23 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: our Halloween episodes, it would be fun to sweeten things 24 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: up a bit and instead of talking about another grizzly 25 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: thing this year, as we kind of edge up on 26 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: the day itself, we could talk about the history of 27 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: Halloween candy uh. There was an episode a couple of 28 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: years back that Sarah was on and Kristen Conger guest 29 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: hosted from Stuff Mom Never Told You, and they talked 30 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: a little bit about candy UH in their history of 31 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: trick or treating, but they focused more on sort of 32 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: a lot of the other cultural aspects of trick or treating. 33 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: So we're gonna dig a little deeper and skip talking 34 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: about the costumes and the other trappings of Halloween night 35 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: and just focus on the sweet show gree stuff. Also, 36 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: in the interest of expectations management, we are pretty much 37 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: talking about modern trick or treating UH and how it 38 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: has existed in the twentieth century. We're not really going 39 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: to talk too much, although we'll touch on it briefly, 40 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: about the older historical rituals associated with the holiday. Or 41 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: the time of year that are sometimes discussed as sort 42 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: of the precursors of the trick or treating tradition. So 43 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: we will cover a little bit about how candy kind 44 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 1: of became the star of the show, and then we'll 45 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: talk about the history of a candy considered to be 46 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: a Halloween classic, even though it is apparently not all 47 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: that popular, And because I can't resist a little bit 48 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: of ghoulishness, we'll also talk briefly about the various scares 49 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: that have happened in the media, uh and in sort 50 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: of the urban legend arena about purposely tainted or booby 51 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: trapped candy. So to start it off, though, we're gonna 52 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: actually talk about a different day than Halloween, near Halloween 53 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: that was also about candy. Yeah, before Halloween became the 54 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: candy hall to day. I mean, there's lots of candy 55 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: associated with lots of other holidays, but candy Halloween is 56 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: the big name. So confectioners tried to launch a candy 57 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: specific holiday and they called it, in a huge amount 58 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: of creativity, Candy Day. Yeah. Candy Day was first launched 59 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixteen, and it would fall on the second 60 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: Saturday of October, and it was pitched to the public 61 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: as a way to sort of encourage a spirit of 62 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: giving and friendship. A lot of the ad campaigns around 63 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: it were about take a break and make sure someone 64 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: you know is getting candy today. Uh. They also were 65 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: trying to allegedly recognize the food value of candy. In 66 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: the earlyies, it was even marketed with a campaign to 67 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: give candy away to the elderly and orphans, so people 68 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: who were candy needy, but really it was a manufactured 69 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: holiday to boost profits for candy companies. Candy Day was 70 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: even renamed to Sweetest Day to encourage this association with 71 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: kindness and generosity, and it continued to be celebrated on 72 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: the second Saturday of October right into the fifties and beyond. 73 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: I remember calendars when I was a kid having Sweetest 74 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: Day on them and be very confused about what that was. Yeah. Uh. 75 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: Some US cities still celebrate it, though, and if you 76 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: ask most people what they were planning for it, you 77 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: would probably be met with a blank stare, which I 78 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: think is what happened when I said what is Sweetest Day? 79 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: It says it here. I'm a calendar. Yeah, I'm trying 80 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: to remember which I know Detroit allegedly still celebrates it, 81 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: and I'm trying to remember a couple of the other 82 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,799 Speaker 1: cities that I saw. So if you're from any of those, 83 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: write us and let us know if they actually are 84 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: celebrated or if it's kind of just a holiday that's 85 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: on the books, but no one really does anything for 86 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: The idea though, of going door to door for treats 87 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: on Halloween is believed to have started somewhere in the 88 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 1: early part of the twentieth century, so that is different 89 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: from Sweetest Day, although the exact starting point of when 90 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: trigger treating really took off is a little bit fuzzy. 91 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: But we're talking about somewhere between nineteen hundred and nineteen 92 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: teens as the window of when people think it it 93 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: was first uh started. Yea that the how and the 94 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: why are kind of blurry. Also, there's some speculation that 95 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: is Halloween became a night for pranks and vandalism early 96 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: in the twentieth century, more organized trick or treating outings 97 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: were sort of arranged by communities as a way to 98 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: distract people from egging houses and whatnot. This isn't certain, though, 99 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: and Sugar rash ing after World War Two broke out 100 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: may have gummed up that plan anyway. And despite the 101 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: haze of trick or treatings origins, we do know that 102 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: by the late nineteen forties and early nineteen fifties it 103 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: was pretty established culturally as a tradition. Uh. You know, 104 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: most people will say it kind of ebbed and flowed 105 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: in terms of popularity, but there is evidence of its 106 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: popularity at this point from the world really of entertainment. 107 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: So Jack Benny actually made jokes about the practice in 108 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: his radio show as early as nineteen forty eight, and 109 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: tricker treating appeared in Peanuts comics as early as nineteen 110 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: fifty one. In ninety two, there was a Disney cartoon 111 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: about Donald Duck's nephew's Huey Dewey and Louie going trick 112 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: or treating, So we know at that point tricker treating 113 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: was firmly established. So in terms of there being an 114 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: actual recognized practice of trick or treating, it's actually really recent. 115 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,359 Speaker 1: We're looking back at, you know, seventy years ago. Uh, 116 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: And why is candy part of the deal. This is 117 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: actually an interesting um sort of sociological, anthropological approach to it. 118 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: According to candy historian Beth Kimberly, sugar and this desire 119 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: for sugar is an almost instinctive part of preparation for winter. 120 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: So even going back to Celtic festivals of fall, I 121 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: know we said we were going to talk about those much, 122 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: but this is just a brief one. Uh. You know, 123 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: part of the activity was that they were using sugar 124 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: and then sometimes honey to preserve foods to get through winter. 125 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: So to some degree there could be a little bit 126 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: of sort of ancient instinct factoring into your craving for 127 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: caramel in autumn. You're also adding a little padding to 128 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,119 Speaker 1: your person to get through the cold period when fresh 129 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: food might not be readily available, or at least you 130 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: would be if we needed it, and if we were 131 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: in an age, you know, in the modern era where 132 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: everything can be preserved and shipped worldwide. We're fortunate enough 133 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: in most places that would probably be hearing this to 134 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: have access to fresh food pretty much year round. This 135 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 1: is kind of an aside, but last week I went 136 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: to a thing called bo Fest, which is the festival 137 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: of bad ad hoc hypotheses and basically people make up 138 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: these are really off the wall hypotheses that are weirdly 139 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: supported by data but are made to be ridiculous, And 140 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: this whole candy hypothesis in the wintertime might have had 141 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: a good place at that festival. Yeah, it's It's one 142 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: of those that's interesting to think about, and I can 143 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: see the logic of it. I don't know if I 144 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: buy into it, but it's to talk about it is 145 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: and by fest is fun and they say, we hope 146 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: you learn nothing, because everything they're saying is uh So. Anyway, 147 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: once candy companies realized that trick or treating was a 148 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: for real tradition, it wasn't long before they started coming 149 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: up with waste to capitalize on it by making sweet 150 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: treats that had a specifically holiday focus, and initial efforts 151 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: on the parts of most of these confectioners were really 152 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: focused around not marketing directly to consumers with like special 153 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: holiday wraps and Halloween themed candy like we'd see today, 154 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: but more to shopkeepers. Uh So, they were pretty much 155 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: selling the same normal candy, but they were parceling them, 156 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: you know, in their palates and their big shipping cases 157 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: as ottumnan Halloween specific in an effort to get those 158 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: shopkeepers to promote candy as Halloween drew near, and this 159 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: is actually important since at the time candy wasn't the 160 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: only giveaway that you might reasonably expect as a Halloween 161 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 1: hand out. Both kool Aid and Kellogg's were marketing their 162 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: products it's perfect items to hand out to trick or 163 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:11,200 Speaker 1: treaters in the nineteen fifties, and candy also competed with nuts, fruit, 164 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: small toys, and homemade treats. Yeah, if you know Kelloggs 165 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: had one, we might all be getting cereal on Halloween, 166 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: which is not a bad thing, but it would be 167 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: very different holiday. Uh Brocks, which is a company that's 168 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: still around and churning out caramels and candy corn, among 169 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: other suits, was one of the first companies to market 170 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: special Halloween candy directly to the consumer. In nineteen sixty two, 171 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 1: they started putting images of jack O lanterns on their 172 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: candy boxes, and this was actually way ahead of most 173 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: other candy companies. As we got into the nineteen seventies, 174 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: candy makers really started to step up their game, and 175 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: this is when marshmallow peeps first started to appear in 176 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: special Halloween additions like cats and pumpkins. Um. Those were 177 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: originally marketed as witch mellows, and I will just say 178 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: to this day the peeps um chocolate moose kiddies are 179 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: one of my very favorite Halloween treats. I love them. Uh. 180 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: Candy an individual small rapper started to be standard. Companies 181 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: were starting to make value add candies as well, so 182 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: that you could give those out to ghosts and ghouls 183 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: who might arrive on your doorstep demanding sugar. So this 184 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: is when candy packs came with rappers that would like 185 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: turn into puppets, and boxes would have little punch out 186 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: windows so that they could kind of become little temporary 187 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: haunted house play set kind of activities. I loved all 188 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: that stuff when I was a kid, to like give 189 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: me a candy plus an activity to do once I 190 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: was full of sugar and I was the happiest child around. Uh. 191 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: This is also the time in the seventies when one 192 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: of my very favorites UH known as Mr Bones debut 193 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,319 Speaker 1: and Mr Bones was a candy skeleton that came in 194 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: a little black coffin, so it was basically like bones 195 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: and a skull and little pieces. And I would always 196 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: spend way too much time putting him together, like I 197 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: would make sure that all my bones were laid out 198 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: as properly as could be given the candy molds that 199 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: they used to create them, and then I would eat 200 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 1: him from the feet up. And I remember I was 201 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: getting really dismayed if I had not gotten enough of 202 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 1: the proper parts to make the full skeleton. But I 203 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: loved Mr Bones. But before we get to another rather 204 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: ghoulish candy trend, do you want to have a quick 205 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: word from a sponsor, I sure do so. Gross out 206 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: candy first appeared in the nineteen eighties. There was just 207 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: a whole trend of disgusting things. I never liked it, 208 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: but boy it sure was popular. Yeah, thanks to garbage 209 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: candy and garbage pale kids, this completely gross out candy 210 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,719 Speaker 1: was now on the scene. And that's when edible eyeballs 211 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: and chocolate covered brains first hit the market and there's 212 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: just really been no end to the grossness since then. 213 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: This turned into a trend and it quickly grew in popularity, 214 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: so a lot of companies started offering this gross candy 215 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: year round instead of just a Halloween and the year 216 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: round trend is something that's sort of ironically is affecting 217 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: the way in which candy is now being offered. So 218 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: Halloween candy got so popular that people started offering it 219 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: year round, But now many candy companies are trying to 220 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: find new ways to take the focus off of exclusive 221 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: Halloween pushes, so a lot of them are offering treats 222 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: that are more sort of autumn focused instead of just 223 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: doing Halloween specific packaging. So that way, while the Halloween 224 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: uh that's very clearly marked Halloween candy gets marked down 225 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: like half off or more on November one, all of 226 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: those yummy treats that have more general autumn colored wrappers 227 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: and flavors can still be offered at regular price. So 228 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: if you think about your local retail store, you probably 229 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: can quickly envision Reese's Cups and Hershey's Kisses and other 230 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: chocolates and candys that are now sort of wrapped in 231 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: like gold russet and copper foil wrappers. And that's part 232 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,719 Speaker 1: of why that transition happened. Instead of marketing for one day, 233 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: their marketing for a season. Well. This is also reminding 234 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: me of like the rebranding of other holidays candies as 235 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: Halloween candy, like the advent of Cadbury scream eggs, which 236 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 1: I might need to go find some as soon as 237 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: we're done recording. Yeah, that's I have an unhealthy relationship 238 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: with the Cadbury Cream and Cadbury Scream mix. So with 239 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: all of this, they're hoping that candy consumption will go 240 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: right on through Thanksgiving before you transition into the winter 241 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: holiday candy. And this makes business sense. Instead of marketing 242 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 1: this one day holiday like Halloween, they can market to 243 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: this whole season of candy consumption. Yeah, because candy uh 244 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 1: for Halloween comes out so early now, I mean that's 245 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: almost a full half year of just solid candy marketing 246 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: by the time you factor in fall and the winter holidays. 247 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: In eleven, it was estimated that Halloween candy sales made 248 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: up for two point three billion dollars of the six 249 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: billion dollars associated with Americans spending around the Halloween holiday. 250 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: So while costumes and decor are gobbling up an ever 251 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 1: bigger chunk of the Halloween spending numbers, candy still holds 252 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: a strong position. They pull in more than a third 253 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: of the consumer dollars that are spent on this holiday. 254 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: According to the California Milk Processors Board, The average candy 255 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: toting Halloween Jack O Lanard holds two fifty pieces of 256 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: candy and that's about nine thousand calories and three pounds 257 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: of sugar, which if you are a longtime listener of 258 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: the podcast, you know my mother would disapprove of. Yeah, 259 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: we kind of had a free for all in our house. 260 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: That's one of those statistics that I read, and it 261 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: was startling because I know how many times I devoured 262 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: a solid half of my bucket or I mean, not 263 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: all kids only stick to the Jack galanern. We had 264 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: pillowcases some years, just like I remember the trick or 265 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: tre getting with pillowcases that we definitely took in more 266 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: than three pounds of sugar at a time sometimes. But 267 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: now we're gonna shift. Now that we've kind of talked 268 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: about how candy and Halloween got married, we're going to 269 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: talk about candy corn. And for full disclosure, I love 270 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: candy corn so much. This is my one of my 271 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: very favorites. I know that's not the case for everyone, 272 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: but I love it all caps love It's At the 273 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: same time, well, a lot of people really hate it. 274 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: I am not one of those people, but a lot 275 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: of people hate it, and that is the word they use. 276 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: But somehow candy corn remains a standard part of the 277 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: Halloween candy repertoire. There are thirty five million pounds of 278 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: candy corn made every year, which is nine billion pieces. Yeah, 279 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: I read one statistic. Uh, I believe it was at 280 00:15:55,920 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: the National Confectioners Association UM and it They had done 281 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: a survey and it was basically like, most people hate 282 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: more people hate dislike candy corn than like it. But 283 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 1: those same people say that it's still like a required 284 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: part of the holiday, Like it's such a an iconic 285 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: element of Halloween candy that they're like, well, you can't 286 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: have Halloween without candy corn. Oh, I hate it. But 287 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: it's like the people who eat the cranberry sauce from 288 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: a can and they don't really know why they do 289 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 1: it at Thanksgiving, but they do because I feel like 290 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: they have to. Yeah, it's a pity. They should try 291 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: some homemade cranberry song and as an aside. In another 292 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: survey that was conducted by the National Confectioners Association, in 293 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: they surveyed one thirty five adults about the proper way 294 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: to consume candy corn or dy, six point eight percent 295 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: felt that you should just pop the whole piece in 296 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: your mouth at once. However, very close behind forty two 297 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: point seven think that you should start with the narrow end, 298 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: which is usually white, but when you get into specially 299 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: specialty flavors is different, and ten points six percent things, 300 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: starting with the wide end is the way to go. 301 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 1: But I also have to wonder, given what we were 302 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 1: just saying about how many people dislike it, how many 303 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 1: of those respondents said you should throw it out before 304 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 1: actually giving their eating preference. Regardless of how you feel 305 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: about it and the reason that we're talking about it today, 306 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: it's been around for a long time. Yeah. The invention 307 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: of this ubiquitous candy is normally credited to a candy 308 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 1: maker named George Renninger, and he was working at the 309 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,119 Speaker 1: Wonderlely Candy Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the eighteen eighties 310 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: when he is said to have first made it. And 311 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: there were other convectioners that were making candies with very 312 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: similar texture. Uh, and that's sort of just general sugar 313 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,919 Speaker 1: flavor that were molded into foliage like you know, leaves 314 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: and other nature shapes acorns, etcetera. But Rehninger was the 315 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:57,199 Speaker 1: first to create this multicolored stripe design. It was the 316 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: striping that really drew people's attention, and it also made 317 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: candy corn a real challenge to make. Kettles of boiling 318 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: sugar slurry were mixed with marshmallow and fondent, and this 319 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: resulting concoction was poured into buckets. Stringers were men tasked 320 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: with walking and pouring out these pound buckets into the 321 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: candy molds. Because of the striping, they had to make 322 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: three passes to make every batch of candy corn. And 323 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: as I was researching this and how they did it, 324 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: my first thought was, like, they've never mentioned it, but 325 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 1: that seems like a really dangerous job to me. If 326 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: any of our listeners have ever made candy and come 327 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: in contact with boiling sugar, it's terrible. That's like an instant, 328 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: horrifying burn on your skin. Uh, and it sticks because 329 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: it's sugar, so it's really hard to get off, and 330 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: the burn gets deeper and worse, like while you're trying 331 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: to clean it um. And they didn't talk about that, 332 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: but I feel like carrying forty five pound buckets of 333 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: this hot sugar mixture seemed had to be like a 334 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 1: high risk of injury or at the very least scalding. 335 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: Um not the scalding isn't an injury, but you know 336 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: what I mean, Like it just seems rough, extremely bad, 337 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: seems like a really dangerous job to me. The process 338 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: has really not changed that much today, except that now 339 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 1: it is mechanized, so there is not risk to human skin, uh, 340 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: and it's not as time consuming or backbreaking. But other 341 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: than that, it's pretty close to the original process. Even 342 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:29,160 Speaker 1: though it's now really closely linked with Halloween. This wasn't 343 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 1: always the case. In the nineteen fifties, there were ad 344 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: campaigns promoting candy corn, which had also gone by the 345 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: name chicken feed and early incarnations as a summertime street 346 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 1: or something for year round. As with other sweet makers, 347 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: the companies that made candy corn really started to focus 348 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,679 Speaker 1: their energies on Halloween marketing in the nineteen fifties. So 349 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 1: the fall and Halloween colors of the candy which it 350 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: had originally made it a very natural fit for the holiday. 351 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: So it's sort of made a home there as it were. 352 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: But in recent years candy corn has been made over 353 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: as well, just as we talked about other candies taking 354 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 1: on sort of a more seasonal approach, uh, so that 355 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,400 Speaker 1: it could, um you know, kind of spread across the calendar. 356 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: So Bronx and Jellybelly, which are the two main candy 357 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: corn manufacturers today, are trying to keep it relevant year round. 358 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,679 Speaker 1: You can get spring colored bunny corn for Easter baskets. 359 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: They make pink and red cupid corn for Valentine's Day. 360 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: There is red and green reindeer corn at Christmas time. 361 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: I think one year, and I'm not sure if this 362 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,200 Speaker 1: is a consistent thing that they still offer, but I 363 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: remember seeing a fourth of July red, white, and blue 364 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,199 Speaker 1: candy corn one year. I don't remember what manufacturer made it. 365 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: But they're also innumerable specialty flavors of candy corn available 366 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 1: today in addition to the classic sort of general sugar flavor. 367 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 1: And if you do like candy corn like I do, 368 00:20:56,040 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: um Brox caramel Machiatto flavor this year is my absolute favorite. 369 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: I have eaten an absolutely unconscionable amount in the last week. Um. 370 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: You can celebrate National Candy Corn Day on October, so 371 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:12,720 Speaker 1: we're right there at it. Go run out and buy 372 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: a bag if you want. And if you're not in 373 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: the US, you can still celebrate, even though that's one 374 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: of our national holidays. Uh. But now that we have 375 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: had my candy corn fangirl situation, we're going to talk 376 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: about some of the scarier aspects of Halloween candy. But 377 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 1: before that, do you want to take a word from 378 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: a sponsor. I do. There's a huge irony to Halloween's 379 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: candy collecting tradition. Unlike the rest of the year, when 380 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 1: kids are not supposed to take candy from strangers. On 381 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: October one, unless your mother's like my mother and you 382 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: only trick or treated at the homes of people you 383 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: knew personally and extensively, you're encouraged to do exactly that. Yeah, 384 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: the risk inherent in doing so has, of course given 385 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,920 Speaker 1: rise to all manner of stories and myths and third 386 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 1: and fourth hand accounts of horrible things that people will 387 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: allege really happen to their cousin, sisters, best friends. And 388 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: it's completely natural to be fearful of the unknown. There's 389 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:17,919 Speaker 1: certainly enough real life horrors that are reported on the 390 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,159 Speaker 1: news all the time to feed the fear of a wicked, 391 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:25,159 Speaker 1: cruel person poisoning candy to pass out to kids on Halloween. Well, 392 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: and even with us so many communities having like a 393 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: safe trick or treating event. I was always like that 394 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: just seems like you could hurt more kids at once. Um, yeah, 395 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. If we're paranoid. I have very similar thoughts. Yeah, 396 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: I'm glad I'm not a parent, because I would be 397 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: the mom that never let my kid do any of 398 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: this stuff. Right. However, most of the stories of tainted 399 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: candy don't really stand up to close their inspection. There 400 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: are definitely a few which have made headlines over the 401 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: years and Snopes, which I love. Snopes dot Com visit 402 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: if you're wondering if something is true or not. They 403 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 1: have a long list of these events. We'll cover just 404 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: a few of them. So in a case where there 405 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: was actual poison involved, but it seems like not so 406 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: much evil intent, stick with me. A woman in Green Lawn, 407 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 1: New York, made a really terrible decision uh when she 408 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,360 Speaker 1: decided to teach teams a lesson about being too old 409 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 1: a trick or treat in nineteen sixty four. So Helen 410 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 1: File prepared the special packages of non treats to hand 411 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,880 Speaker 1: out to her to hand out to teenagers when they 412 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: came to her door for trick or treating, and these 413 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 1: packages had steel wool pads, dog biscuits and arsenic laced 414 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 1: candy buttons, and File told the older kids that she 415 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: handed them out to that they were a joke and 416 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: that they were in fact poisonous. They had skull and 417 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 1: crossbones on them and poison written on them, and no 418 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: one ingested any of them. But she was handing out 419 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: poison to kids. So she was charged with child endangerment. 420 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 1: She pled guilty, and she received a suspended sentence. That 421 00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: just seems like maybe she went a little too far 422 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: trying to make her point. Yeah, it seems like the 423 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: arsenic laced candy buttons was was one step over the line, 424 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: maybe more than one step. It was over the line. 425 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 1: In Detroit, in v Kevin Tossen, who was five, died 426 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:23,639 Speaker 1: after spending four days in a coma following a heroin overdose, 427 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: and the drug was found in his Halloween candy. So 428 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 1: while his death was accidental, the family actually staged a 429 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: cover up of what had really happened. Kevin had gotten 430 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: into his uncle's stash and the family had been sprinkled 431 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: heroin into his tricker treat candy in hoping that a 432 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: mystery villain would be blamed for it. Yeah, and it 433 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,200 Speaker 1: was one of those things that even once the truth 434 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: sort of came out that he had actually gotten into 435 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: separate from his Halloween candy his uncle's drugs, by that point, 436 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 1: like the newspaper headlines had already read everywhere, you know, 437 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: that this five year old had died from poison Halloween 438 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: candy or from drug laced Halloween candy. And so that 439 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,160 Speaker 1: was really the thing that people remembered. And even though 440 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:14,680 Speaker 1: there was an explanation, uh, that's sort of the fear 441 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: was already pretty placed at that point. Um. And then 442 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: in ninety four and what was really just a horrible 443 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: and tragic event. Uh, there was what initially appeared to 444 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,959 Speaker 1: be a legitimate poison candy incident. Uh. There was an 445 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 1: eight year old in Deer Park, Texas named Timothy O'Brien, 446 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,639 Speaker 1: and he died after eating tainted pixie Sticks candy after 447 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: he went trick or treating on Halloween night. Uh. And 448 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: the truly horrific turn of events is that the boy 449 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,120 Speaker 1: had been poisoned, but not by a stranger handing out 450 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: bad candy. It was in fact the child's father, Ronald Clark, O'Brien, 451 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 1: who was found guilty in the murder investigation around the poisoning. Yeah, 452 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,480 Speaker 1: it turned out that the boy's father had handed out 453 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: pixie sticks laced with cyanide to his son and daughter 454 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 1: and to a friend's children. And his actual target was 455 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 1: his son because he had taken out a forty dollar 456 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: life insurance policy on him. His distribution of the candy 457 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: to other kids was to support this story that somebody 458 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: at one of the houses where where they had stopped 459 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: trick or treating had given out the bad candy instead 460 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: of him. He was found guilty in the investigation and 461 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: he was sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal 462 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,679 Speaker 1: injection almost ten years after the murder of his son 463 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,880 Speaker 1: in four And this is one that is bad enough 464 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: on its own, But when people retell the story, they 465 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: often embellish it and they'll say, exactly ten years later 466 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 1: on Halloween, but now he was executed at a different 467 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: time of year. But I've kind of feel like that 468 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: one is bad enough on its own. You don't need 469 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:51,680 Speaker 1: to add, you know, poignant timing details to it. So 470 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: while there haven't actually been any documented cases of like 471 00:26:55,480 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 1: widespread distribution of tainted candy, to stranger children. These myths persist, 472 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: and parents are understandably fearful. And you know that taking 473 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 1: candy from people you don't know is an inherently risky 474 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: thing to do. But if there is an upside to 475 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 1: all of the fear surrounding potentially tainted candy, it's actually 476 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 1: the benefit that it offers candy companies. So parents have 477 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 1: become less suspicious of factory sealed candies and individually ramped 478 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: these little smaller packages, uh than they would be of 479 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:29,200 Speaker 1: homemade treats, which used to be a lot more common. 480 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: I know when I was trick or treating as a kid, 481 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 1: we had neighbors that would make like popcorn balls, or 482 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,680 Speaker 1: we had um one neighbor that would give out. She 483 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: would do the little chocolate mold candies of her own 484 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: like that would never fly today unless you were going 485 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: to like a specific friend's house for a party. You 486 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: could not go to a stranger's house and get a 487 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: popcorn ball and probably be allowed to eat it once 488 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: you got home. Yeah. I remember my mom going through 489 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,199 Speaker 1: all of the hallowing candy and throwing away anything that 490 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 1: was suspicious to her, which was mostly stuff that was homemade. Um, 491 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 1: it was even even after only through or treating at 492 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: the homes of people that we knew, you know, better 493 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 1: safe than sorry. I mean I kind of can't faulter 494 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 1: for it. I really can't either. You know, she had 495 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 1: your best interests in mind. She sure your kids were safe. 496 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 1: She also had some pretty strict rules about how much 497 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: candy we could, Like we are, the Halloween candy at 498 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: our house usually lasted a really long time because it 499 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: was sort of rationed and little bit on at our house. 500 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: It was like a crazy, wild free for all at 501 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:33,160 Speaker 1: our house. We were very horrible. U. So, yeah, that's 502 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 1: sort of Halloween candy through history. A lot of that's 503 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: more modern history than we usually cover, but it's one 504 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: of those things that we don't really get to kind 505 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 1: of delve into. And it's the perfect time of year 506 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,640 Speaker 1: to play around with candy and sweets discussions, which I 507 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: always love. So even in some cities today, like I know, 508 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: there are a few local police precincts and stuff that 509 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: will sometimes do like a candy inspection station on Halloween night, 510 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: or you can go and have your candy X ray 511 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,240 Speaker 1: to make sure there's nothing dicey in it of a 512 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: metal nature or anything. So those are still out there 513 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 1: as safeguards, even though, as we said, there haven't been 514 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: any documented cases. If it makes parents feel better, I 515 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 1: think that's great. Uh. And now I just want to 516 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 1: go eat three pounds of candy corn, but I'm probably 517 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:25,840 Speaker 1: alone in that. Thanks so much for joining us on 518 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 1: this Saturday. Since this episode is out of the archive, 519 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: if you heard an email address or a Facebook U 520 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 1: r L or something similar over the course of the show, 521 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: that could be obsolete. Now. Our current email address is 522 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 1: History Podcast at i heart radio dot com. Our old 523 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: health stuff Works email address no longer works, and you 524 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: can find us all over social media at missed in History. 525 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: And you can subscribe to our show on Apple podcasts, 526 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: Google podcasts, the I heart Radio app, and wherever else 527 00:29:54,880 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: you listen to podcasts. Stuff you It's in History Class 528 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts 529 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 1: from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 530 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H