How Halloween Became About Candy

juushika/Flickr

Candy country.

Candy on Halloween is as American (or Canadian) as pumpkin pie. But the holiday wasn't always about trick-or-treating or even candy, according to a piece on Atlantic Food that is part of a series on the history of candy.

Confectioners didn't start to cash in on October 31 until the 1950s, when trick-or-treating spread. But someone apparently missed the boat:

All of which raises the question: What was the candy industry up to during all those years before we had the license and opportunity to indulge in enormous quantities of Halloween candy? It turns out that in 1916, candy promoters did come up with an idea to launch the fall candy season and boost sales and consumption, but it wasn't Halloween. It was a new holiday invention, uniquely American in its entrepreneurial spirit: Candy Day.

Have a restaurant tip or other food-related news? Send it to fork@villagevoice.com.