Custom Holiday Packaging

Halloween is coming, and that means millions of Americans are stocking up on candy. According to the National Confectioners Association, 75% of households plan to hand out candy this year—a pretty amazing fact when you consider that trick-or-treating is a tradition that is less than 100 years old!

When the little ghosts and goblins arrive at your door, odds are you’ll give them Halloween candy—specific, special, made-for-Halloween candy. Like trick-or-treating, Halloween candy is a fairly new development—one defined by packaging.

A Very Brief History of Halloween Candy
Before the 1930’s, Halloween was a time for pranks, costumes, and parties, but not going door to door asking for treats. Trick or treating grew in popularity after WWII, eventualy becoming the major event of the holiday.

The “treats” were a little different, back in the day—candy manufacturers hadn’t jumped on the opportunity that Halloween offered. Up until the 1970’s it was common to hand out a variety of treats, including candy, but also including homemade snacks, as well as small toys. Concerns about safety lead to a preference for packaged treats, and candy became the treat of choice.

What Makes Halloween Candy Special?
These days, Halloween candy is a specialty product—it’s manufactured and sold for the purpose of trick-or-treating. It evolved over the second half of the twentieth century to the product we know, love, and steal from our kids today. The thing that distinguishes Halloween candy the most from other candy is it’s packaging.

• It’s Small…
  Halloween candy comes in little packages. Since 72% of candy-givers give each trick-or-treater at least two pieces of candy, it’s sensible to keep the candy small. While Hershey manufactured their first “miniatures” in 1939, it was ahead of the pack, and not intended for Halloween. Little candy bars became popular later. Companies now manufacture “fun-sized” candy bars for trick or treating, or sell bags of small packages of candy.
• It’s Wrapped.
  The days of homemade and unwrapped Halloween treats are long gone. Most parents insist on a tight, sealed wrapping to guarantee that Halloween candy is safe. Halloween packaging has the added benefit of keeping candy fresh and preventing it from sticking together.
• It’s Branded for Halloween…
  As Halloween became more of a candy holiday, candy companies began to create new packaging, and sometimes entirely new products, just for trick-or-treating. Lois Baker wrote in the Chicago Tribune in 1962: “Never before, it seems to us, have the food stores been stocked with so many varieties and such novel packages of candies, cookies and chewing gum, and other goodies designed to provide you with simple loot for those little trick-or-treaters…” From gummy ghosts to Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins, Halloween branded candy is part of the holiday now.

When it comes down to recipes, Halloween candy isn’t that different from regular candy. The difference is in the packaging—something we know all about at Korpack.

When it comes retail packaging, Korpack has all the supplies you need to make a good first impression, whether you’re appealing to trick-or-treaters or sophisticated retail consumers. From shopping bags to gift boxes to decorative tissues, our products will give you the best presentation, To find out more about retail packaging, like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter @Korpack_Inc. For more information or a quote, call 630.213.3600 or contact us by email.