Wikipedia says that candy corn was invented by George Renninger in 1880 and that 90 billion pounds are sold each year. The numbers are impressive and represent the start of the holiday season when no one loses weight and most of us gain five to fifteen pounds.

So what is it that makes Candy Corn so popular?

It can’t be the color because now it comes in different colors with the popular addition of brown. The brown, chocolate coating appeals to many, while most of us prefer the traditional colors of yellow base, orange center, and white top.

I suppose its small size is one of the reasons for its popularity, although there is now a new and optional larger size. You feel innocent while eating a couple dozen at a time because they are so small. “Only a few won’t hurt me.” You say to yourself while putting another 2-3 in your mouth. And before you know it, the bag is half empty and the guilt sets in.

As an adult, I indulge myself excessively, perhaps because as a child I was not allowed to go begging for sweets. I envied my neighbors for their success and hoped my parents would give up, but that never happened. So eventually I rebelled by encouraging my kids to start early and finish late on that singular night.

As I talked about that night, I would take several children to a part of the city that had a higher density of houses per block where the production of sweets would be higher, and then I would charge them a fee for my services. My rate was reasonable and required that they give me each and every Clark or Butterfinger chocolate bar, leaving the rest for them. This win-win system worked for many years and made a predictable contribution to my current physical stature.

Over the years I have had love affairs with different sweets. It started with Clark candy bars and progressed to Butterfinger, as mentioned above, but with age came a subtle change to include Easter Peeps and Candy Corn.

For those who are severely addicted to Candy Corn, a recent addition to the fall lineup is Candy Pumpkin. You know that orange pumpkin with the green top. This sweet is roughly the same volume as 4-5 Candy Corn and provides a higher sugar rush. One can feel less guilty eating fewer pieces without taking into account the undeniable fact that the total amount of sugar consumed is significantly higher.

I am glad that someone has thought of making a special day for this wonderful gastronomic invention. If I had realized before October 30th was the day to celebrate this sweet, I would have made it a point to eat them with everyone else. In the past, you’d hunt them for a bargain a few days after Halloween to get them at half price or less, then eat them during November. But now that I know about this special “Candy Corn” day, I’ll spread out the extra batter and get it sooner.

And you?