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The Daily (NYT)

Tricks, Treats and Trends

29 min episode · 2 min read
·
Kim Severson,Louis Lucero II,Callie Holterman

Episode

29 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Productivity, Fundraising & VC, Marketing

AI-Generated Summary

Key Takeaways

  • ✓Candy market shift: Non-chocolate candies now lead Halloween sales, with M&Ms ranked first and Sour Patch Kids second according to 19 years of bulk candy retailer data. Nerds Gummy Clusters went viral after a 2021 Kylie Jenner post, and freeze-dried or "popped" versions of existing candies represent the industry's primary innovation strategy for driving repeat annual purchases.
  • ✓Gen Z flavor psychology: Food marketers categorize Gen Z candy preferences as "swangy" (sweet and tangy) and "swavery" (sweet and savory). Researchers suggest sour candy's appeal partly stems from anxiety relief — the intense sensory experience redirects focus. Sour tape challenges on social media and extreme-acid brands like Crybaby bubble gum reflect this behavioral pattern among younger consumers.
  • ✓Chocolate price inflation: Halloween candy costs have risen roughly 8% year-over-year, more than double the general inflation rate. Chocolate specifically is up 15–20%, driven by heat waves and crop diseases affecting West African cacao harvests, which supply approximately 60% of global cacao. Expect households to distribute single pieces rather than allowing children to grab handfuls.
  • ✓Halloween costume as cultural index: Costumes function as a first-draft record of the year's most memorable cultural moments. Viable 2026 costumes include the Heated Rivalry Boys, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Gloria Steinem, Nathan Fielder and Elizabeth Holmes, and Erling Haaland carrying a taxidermied raccoon purchased during the FIFA World Cup's Texas stop.
  • ✓Skeleton decoration technology: Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton (technically 11'8"), priced at $299, has evolved since its 2020 viral debut. The 2026 model is Bluetooth-enabled via a dedicated app, allowing users to control lighting, eye animations, movement, and broadcast live voice messages through the decoration — a direct response to sustaining viral momentum across multiple retail seasons.

What It Covers

The Daily's Halloween 2026 episode examines three cultural shifts: non-chocolate candy overtaking chocolate as the dominant Halloween treat, Gen Z's sour-and-tangy flavor preferences reshaping the candy industry, viral costume trends reflecting the year's biggest cultural moments, and Americans spending a projected $13.5 billion on Halloween decorations.

Key Questions Answered

  • •Candy market shift: Non-chocolate candies now lead Halloween sales, with M&Ms ranked first and Sour Patch Kids second according to 19 years of bulk candy retailer data. Nerds Gummy Clusters went viral after a 2021 Kylie Jenner post, and freeze-dried or "popped" versions of existing candies represent the industry's primary innovation strategy for driving repeat annual purchases.
  • •Gen Z flavor psychology: Food marketers categorize Gen Z candy preferences as "swangy" (sweet and tangy) and "swavery" (sweet and savory). Researchers suggest sour candy's appeal partly stems from anxiety relief — the intense sensory experience redirects focus. Sour tape challenges on social media and extreme-acid brands like Crybaby bubble gum reflect this behavioral pattern among younger consumers.
  • •Chocolate price inflation: Halloween candy costs have risen roughly 8% year-over-year, more than double the general inflation rate. Chocolate specifically is up 15–20%, driven by heat waves and crop diseases affecting West African cacao harvests, which supply approximately 60% of global cacao. Expect households to distribute single pieces rather than allowing children to grab handfuls.
  • •Halloween costume as cultural index: Costumes function as a first-draft record of the year's most memorable cultural moments. Viable 2026 costumes include the Heated Rivalry Boys, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Gloria Steinem, Nathan Fielder and Elizabeth Holmes, and Erling Haaland carrying a taxidermied raccoon purchased during the FIFA World Cup's Texas stop.
  • •Skeleton decoration technology: Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton (technically 11'8"), priced at $299, has evolved since its 2020 viral debut. The 2026 model is Bluetooth-enabled via a dedicated app, allowing users to control lighting, eye animations, movement, and broadcast live voice messages through the decoration — a direct response to sustaining viral momentum across multiple retail seasons.

Notable Moment

A reporter who spent an entire day at a New Jersey Home Depot in September 2022 found customers who had visited roughly 15 stores and called approximately 50 locations searching for the skeleton decoration — months before Halloween — illustrating the unexpected consumer demand the $299 item generated.

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Episode Transcript

Why do most running brands force your toes into tight, pointy shoes? At Ultra, we think shoes should be shaped like actual feet. That's why our shoes have the UltraFit with room for your toes. Your toes engage for powerful strides. Your feet are comfortable, and you get natural balance. Check out Ultra Running shoes at ultrarunning.com/thedaily, and use code Daily 10 for 10% off your first purchase. Exclusions and terms apply. Plus, you can use your HSA, FSA funds with TrueMed. Check your eligibility at truemed.com/ultra. Hello, everyone. It's Rachel. If you're not yet a subscriber, we have some news for you. You can enjoy full access to The Times without a paywall for thirty days. All you have to do is download the app to get your first month completely free. And if you're already a Time subscriber, thank you. Okay. Here's today's show. From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily on Sunday. Back in the nineteenth century, when Halloween first caught on in America, it was popular to celebrate with a bonfire. People met for seances and used various methods to try to predict the future. Kids would play pranks, like dipping over outhouses or throwing bricks through windows. That real vandalism eventually evolved into trick or treating. Seances gave way to scary movie marathons, and ghosts and witch costumes became blow up dinosaurs and Pikachus. Halloween has proven to be a remarkably sturdy American tradition, in part because it changes over time. And so today, we're checking in on the state of Halloween in 2026. First, the Times' food writer, Kim Seberson, will lead me on a culinary journey through the latest and greatest in the world of candy. Then Louis Lucero the second, an editor on our styles desk, will give us a rundown of the most distinctly 2026 costumes to look for on Halloween night. And finally, our reporter, Callie Holterman, and I will talk about Halloween decorations and why Americans spend billions dollars on them. It's Sunday, Shocktober. I mean, October 25. Kim Severson, what a pleasure to have you back on the show here on the Sunday Daily. Thanks so much, Rachel. It's great to talk with you again. So, Kim, you cover all things food for the times, which today, we are going to take to mean candy. Yeah. So we are gonna go deep on Halloween candy, which I'm I'm a big fan of and very excited about. And I've been spending a lot of time kind of researching what's up with the candy this Halloween. Did you did you trick or treat as a child, Rachel? And as an adult. Yeah. No. I I I think So what did you love to get? And when you... At the end of the night, when you went home and dumped out your candy Butterfinger. Uh-huh. Definitely. Butterfinger. Okay. Well, the, on one of the lists of popular candies this year, the Butterfinger comes in number …

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