+
upworthy
Pop Culture

Just in time for Halloween, people share the worst candies. Here are the top 10 to avoid.

The new Crunch bar recipe tastes 'like chocolate lies!'

Halloween; Halloween candy; worst candy

Apparently, not all candies are created equal.

It's spooky season and with that generally comes more candy than anyone could comfortably eat in one sitting. There are some candies that people think should never leave the factory—more than 25,000 people responded to a question on Reddit, "What is the worst candy?" And let me be the first to tell you that people had some big feelings.


Candy is something that most people enjoy, but preferences vary widely. Some people love black licorice and think it's the best-tasting candy out there, while others would gag at the smell of it. So, it makes sense that a list of candy that people hate is bound to be subjective based on people's differing tastes. But there are some candies that rise to the top of the throw it in the trash and light it on fire list, so stick around to find out what candy to avoid this year, in no particular order.

Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash
1. Crunch bars are no longer a favorite

Yeah, Crunch is the candy bar from your childhood that used to cut your tongue or roof of your mouth because you insisted on sucking the chocolate off of the rice crispy bits. It seems that the formula was changed a few years ago for no good reason, according to the people on Reddit. One person described the change as a "crime against humanity," while another who excitedly bought one after years of being unable to find them described the candy as "chocolate lies."

2. Wax lips and vampire teeth

The collective jury seems to be out on if you're actually supposed to eat those things, but I distinctly remember being told they were gum and they kind of tasted like maybe they could be—if you didn't know what gum tasted like. Whether you were supposed to eat them or not, chewing on them tastes, well, like wax.

Canva

3. Any object with fake M&Ms inside

I'm not sure you see so much of this around Halloween, but you definitely see it around Christmas. Clear plastic candy cane tubes filled with fake M&Ms that one person said "taste like chocolate lentils" and ended the statement with expletives. It's safe to say that they have some strong feelings.

4. Whatever those orange and black wrapped candies are

No one knows what they're called but the hatred was unifying. Is it peanut butter flavored or flavored like molasses? There was some disagreement there, but the consensus was that nobody liked them and they should immediately be thrown into the sun. If you buy those candies to give out to your trick or treaters, just know that you'll have a bunch of 8-year-olds figuring out how to string together swear words just to cuss you out in their heads.

Wikicommons

5. Jujubes are not for actual teeth

According to one commenter, Jujubes are the generic much harder and less tasty version of Dots, and I can see that. Someone else had a theory about them being invented by dentists to drum up more business, but seriously, those things could yank out a tooth while anyone tried to chew them. They're brutal but if you're looking to make your jaw line look like it was getting in reps at the gym, then these are the candies for you.

6. The actual devil in candy form, Good & Plenty

Oh, there are plenty, and I mean plenty, but they certainly aren't good. The thought of those purple and white coated candies makes some people want to rip out their taste buds. A few Reddit users came up with other names for the candy nightmares are made of. One person said they should be called "bad and too much," while another user preferred the name "awful and abundant." Someone else describes the taste as "NyQuil flavored chews" and that's a pretty accurate description.

Canva

7. The corn that everyone loves to hate, Candy Corn

You knew it was coming. Candy Corn is probably the most controversial holiday candy next to Peeps. People either love or hate them, there is no in between. But the gathered thoughts of commenters under this particular entry is that Candy Corn deserves its own special place at the bottom of a burning trash pile. Poor Candy Corn, I love you, maybe that's enough to soothe the sting from the collective distain.

8. This oldie, teaching kids bad habits, Candy Cigarettes

Yes, they still make these and they're still just as chalky and gross as ever. Who thought "I know what will be a great candy— cigarettes!" and had enough eyes on it to approve the product for advertisement and consumption by children. One of the commenters joked that they were still struggling with their candy cigarette habit and had to turn to candy patches to help with their addiction.

Flickr

9. While not a Halloween candy per se, Circus Peanuts kept popping up

What is it about these orange peanuts that gets people in a tizzy? One person actually described them as "biting into foam" and now I feel like I need to try some again to accurately assess if this is in fact true. The comments under Circus Peanuts were just filled with one-word reactions like "gross" and "nasty" so it seems pretty safe to assume not many people are fans of these orange foamy peanuts.

10. Dots and the stupid paper they come on

Dots are cute in theory but when you try to eat those little suckers you get a mouth full of paper that rips off along with the candy. There really isn't any separating the candy from the paper no matter how carefully you try. The only sure method of getting paper-free candy is to pull the candy off and lick the stuck-on paper until it dissolves. Eh, I guess you're still getting the paper that way, just in a less offensive way.

Of course, there may be things on this list that you absolutely love. I'm just the messenger. Take it up with the thousands of people who think you're wrong. Just kidding … taste is subjective. Enjoy whatever candy you want this Halloween and remember to pass out the good stuff for the trick or treaters.

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

True

The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


Keep ReadingShow less

The Preussen Munster square off against the Würzburger Kickers

As a soccer match between German teams Preussen Munster and Würzburger Kickers went into its final minutes, a defender from the Kickers, 23-year-old Leroy Kwadwo, stopped to point out a problem in the stands.

A Munster fan was making monkey noises at Kwadwo, a black player of Ghanaian descent. It was a clearly racist heckling—an issue that has publicly plagued the international sport in various venues, even as recently as last week. But this time, the response from the crowd far outshined the racist in the stands.

Keep ReadingShow less
Science

Researchers dumped tons of coffee waste into a forest. This is what it looks like now.

30 dump truck loads and two years later, the forest looks totally different.

One of the biggest problems with coffee production is that it generates an incredible amount of waste. Once coffee beans are separated from cherries, about 45% of the entire biomass is discarded.

So for every pound of roasted coffee we enjoy, an equivalent amount of coffee pulp is discarded into massive landfills across the globe. That means that approximately 10 million tons of coffee pulp is discarded into the environment every year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Women are shocking their boyfriends by showing them how tampons actually work

The viral videos are a great way to educate men on a sensitive topic.

via TikTok

Menstrual taboos are as old as time and found across cultures. They've been used to separate women from men physically — menstrual huts are still a thing — and socially, by creating the perception that a natural bodily function is a sign of weakness.

Even in today's world women are deemed unfit for positions of power because some men actually believe they won't be able to handle stressful situations while mensurating.

"Menstruation is an opening for attack: a mark of shame, a sign of weakness, an argument to keep women out of positions of power,' Colin Schultz writes in Popular Science.

Keep ReadingShow less
Upworthy/Instagram

The Shinsekis certainly had a sense of humor.

As anyone who has dipped their toe into home improvement waters knows, home remodeling is a mix of excitement and headaches. It's fun to freshen things up and make your own mark on your home, but when you're tearing out the old, you never know what you're going to find. Something toxic like asbestos or mold? Something cool like money or a box of treasures?

How about a photo of previous homeowners introducing themselves and ribbing you for undoing all their hard work?

That's what one home remodeler found when they started remodeling their bathroom, and the notes the former owners left for them are leaving people in stitches.

Keep ReadingShow less

"What Do You Know About The Female Body?" from Jimmy Kimmel

When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street, you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about, well, seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case, female anatomy.

In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions, like “does a female have one uterus, or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners.

Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:

Keep ReadingShow less