Don't Give Out This Halloween Candy In Illinois

As you're deciding which sweet treats to hand out to your trick-or-treaters on Tuesday night, here's a word of advice: stay away from the candy corn.

People in Illinois — and several other states — hate the stuff.

That's according to a new survey by Halloween Express, an online seller of Halloween costumes and other supplies. Using online tools, the company polled more than 2,000 Americans, asking them their favorite, and least favorite, Halloween candy.

Illinois was one of the 21 states where candy corn topped the list of candies sure to make your Halloween guests grimace. The Land of Lincoln also was in line with the survey's overall results, which saw 11.7 percent of all respondents say the waxy orange, white and yellow kernels are their least favorite candy.

Licorice (8.3 percent) came in second on the no-thank-you list, followed by Jawbreakers (7.1 percent) Raisinets (5.6 percent) and Hot Tamales (4.3 percent).

"In almost two-thirds of the country, the award for the worst Halloween candy came down to one of two choices: candy corn and licorice," Halloween Express said in its survey results. "It's hard to know which one kids most hate finding in their bags after a long night of trick-or-treating, or which is most likely to show up on the clearance rack come Nov. 1 – but these two were a fairly safe bet."

If you want to make your local goblins and ghouls much happier, here's a safe bet, according to the survey — load up on Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Illinois was one of 38 states that agreed the magical combination of chocolate and peanut butter is the absolute best, according to the survey. But another study — this one by online distributor Candy Store — maintains that Sour Patch Kids are the best-selling treats (more than 155,000 pounds worth) in Illinois, followed by Kit Kat and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Watch: One Full Minute Of The Best Stock Footage We Could Find Of People Eating Sweets

Overall, Reese's was the favorite candy of 19.6 percent of respondents, followed by Snicker's bars (11.7 percent" Kit Kats (5.5 percent) Twix (5.2 percent) and Milky Way (3.7 percent).

"Available in a number of options, including holiday shapes (like a pumpkin, Christmas tree, or Easter egg), spreads, cakes, and even burger toppings, there's no denying Americans love their Reese's," the company wrote. "Thankfully, all that creamy, delicious peanut butter actually makes them a fairly good source of protein, even if they shouldn't exactly be a staple in your diet."

To see the full Halloween Express candy survey, click here.

More local Halloween fun:

Illinois Haunted House Guide 2017 | UPDATED!

Local Haunts: 5 Haunted Spots In Illinois

Photo via Pixabay

By Doug Gross (Patch Staff)