A Big Guide to Halloween Candy Trading

There are only two days until Halloween!!! The most high-stakes part of the evening is, of course, the trading of candy. After interviewing 10 kids between the ages of 5 and 14, we put together THE official guide…

Snickers and Reese’s are at the top of the heap. One of those is worth two of the candies in the row below, and so on. And no one cares about raisins.

Here are some ways you can trade!

Finally, eight-year-old Toby, five-year-old Anton and their five-year-old friend Lincoln weigh in.

How would you describe candy?
Lincoln: Some are chewy.
Anton: A lot is chewy! Basically all of them!

What if someone gives you raisins?
Lincoln: That would be terrible. So terrible.
Anton: I would be like, uh, excuse me, it’s Halloween! That’s more like snack time!

What’s the best color M&M?
In unison: Red.

How many pieces of Halloween candy do you usually get?
Toby: 500!
Anton: 16!

Thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree? Please weigh in below!

P.S. 8 great Halloween costumes, and the funny things kids say.

(Graphic design by the wonderful Erin Jang for Cup of Jo.)

Tags: halloween

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Rebecca

October 31, 2019 4:23pm 4:23 pm

Basically….❤️

Exotic Fruit

July 16, 2019 5:06am 5:06 am

Snickers! I didn’t hear it for Snickers. But also Butterfinger and candy corn. Try candy corn with salted peanuts mixed about 50-50. Awesome.

Kalub Lamb

Reply to Exotic Fruit

October 30, 2020 3:18pm 3:18 pm

Tried it very good mix thank you.

Erin Mary

November 5, 2018 4:59pm 4:59 pm

I always hated chocolate growing up, so I make a KILLING with trades. I got all the Twizzlers, Starbursts, and Nerds, all for the low low price of one gross Snickers! :)

Shannon

November 2, 2018 2:08pm 2:08 pm

This will have me smiling for days! The sheer joy of it all, year after year after year…

Naomi

November 2, 2018 7:22am 7:22 am

“Anton: I would be like, uh, excuse me, it’s Halloween! That’s more like snack time!”
I was sipping on some tea whilst reading this and some may have come out of my nose when I read that. He sounds so serious and so cute!!

Whitney

November 1, 2018 11:14am 11:14 am

Sorry Toby, no one is my family likes plain m&m’s.

Lisa

November 1, 2018 5:32am 5:32 am

My two year old daughter wanted to go trick or treating like her older brother, and went to our three closest neighbors. She stuffed herself with the candy in typical high speed manner, then looked disgruntledly down on the huge remaining pile of nuts and raisins in her bucket and said “It’s empty!” There it is – even two year olds know what’s Halloween and what’s not.

Emily

November 1, 2018 2:03am 2:03 am

“I like them in real life but not on Halloween” that’s such a great quote.

hillary

October 31, 2018 1:43pm 1:43 pm

even easier: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/us/reeses-trades-your-candy-on-halloween-trnd/index.html?utm_source=fbCNN&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2018-10-31T09%3A00%3A11

Heather

October 31, 2018 1:31pm 1:31 pm

This is adorable, such an original story idea and I love the design too! I totally agree that Snickers and Reese’s are the crème de la crème! Sour Patch are next in line for me :)

Erin

October 31, 2018 1:13pm 1:13 pm

Looks like candy swapping for Reese’s is an option for you all in NYC! https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/reeses-will-let-you-swap-your-bad-halloween-candy-for-peanut-butter-cups/

You could even trade just one Jolly Rancher for a Reese’s ;)

Tammy

October 31, 2018 12:34pm 12:34 pm

Haha I love this! “No one cares about raisins” totally relatable and so true! Happy Halloween ladies <3

janine

October 31, 2018 9:15am 9:15 am

My son is 7 1/2 and almost never gets sick… yesterday I picked him up from school and he sounded TERRIBLE… last night he got a fever, and was coughing and losing his voice. I called his pediatrician’s office’s on call doctor, and she recommended we keep him home from school today (and we put the doctor on speaker phone so he could hear it straight from her). He burst into tears because he doesn’t want to miss the Halloween fun!! But we convinced him that it’s better to skip school and rest up (who needs that classroom party with healthy snacks and no candy, right?!) so that he feels well enough to go trick or treating later!

Sasha L

October 31, 2018 12:35am 12:35 am

This is super cute.

I do have to tell Toby though, I don’t like M & M’s. Not with peanuts. Not in trail mix. Not in monster cookies. Not even when my daughter used to call them Auntie Em’s (wizard of Oz) and it was so adorable. So not quite everyone loves them ? I would trade Toby ALL of my Auntie Em’s for just a couple Reeses, which EVERYONE truly does like (except for peanut allergies).

Kim

October 30, 2018 10:12pm 10:12 pm

Hey Cuo of Jo,
Are there any good charities we can send leftover Halloween candy to?

Leah

Reply to Kim

October 31, 2018 12:04pm 12:04 pm

A dentist near us buys candy from kids ($2/lb maybe?) and then donates the candy to a charity that sends them in care packages to people serving in the military overseas. You might do a Google search for something like that.

Kirsten

October 30, 2018 7:52pm 7:52 pm

Oh man, I would make out like a bandit cause I’m not so into chocolate candy but I love me some York patties and Starbursts.

October 30, 2018 5:16pm 5:16 pm

Do you all limit how much your kids are allowed to eat on halloween? it is kinda a free for all in our house for one night only.

Colby

October 30, 2018 4:45pm 4:45 pm

The charts are brilliant.

Stacy Hyatt

October 30, 2018 3:55pm 3:55 pm

GIVE ME ALL THE ALMOND JOYS :)

Eva

October 30, 2018 3:24pm 3:24 pm

…I don’t like M&Ms! I like chocolate, and Reese’s, but the candy coating around the M&M ruins it for me. If it was acceptable to put a handful of chocolate chips in a ziplock bag and hand that out for Halloween, that would be my favorite treat.

October 30, 2018 3:04pm 3:04 pm

I just LOL’d

Jane I.

This is so precious. :) I cannot wait to have a little one to take Trick or Treating.

Emily Getty

October 30, 2018 2:54pm 2:54 pm

I LOVE the posts that include dialogue from your boys, Joanna!

Karyn

October 30, 2018 2:35pm 2:35 pm

Loved this. I didn’t scroll back to see if anyone else posted it as well, but it seems there will be a “Reese’s Converter” vending machine installed near Washington Square in NYC on Halloween, where you can trade in your inferior candy for a Reese’s!
https://thetakeout.com/reeses-candy-converter-peanut-butter-cup-halloween-1830098114

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Karyn

October 30, 2018 5:03pm 5:03 pm

so funny!!

Kim G

October 30, 2018 10:06pm 10:06 pm

OMG!

Amber

October 30, 2018 2:02pm 2:02 pm

Team Almond Joy for life! Even as a little kid, I would trade my whole basket for just almond joys if I could!

talia

Reply to Amber

October 30, 2018 2:16pm 2:16 pm

Me too!

Danielle

October 30, 2018 2:58pm 2:58 pm

Me three! Will still only eat the coconut chocolates from a Valentine’s Day heart as well