How candy corn became a Halloween tradition, and why Americans still love to hate it

Chances are high that candy corn is ending up in quite a few trick-or-treating baskets this Halloween, but the controversial confection has not always been associated with the spooky holiday.

The colorful treat has been around for more than 100 years.

It was invented in the 1880s in Philadelphia by George Renninger, an employee at Wunderle Candy Company, according to the National Confectioners Association in Washington, D.C.

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In keeping with a trend popular among confectioneries to make treats inspired by nature, candy corn was made to look like corn kernels.

It was initially marketed as faux chicken feed, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Candy corn has become a Halloween staple, but it wasn't always associated with the holiday. (iStock)

Candy corn’s unique layered tricolor design combined with a lack of automated machinery made for a difficult production process.

The treat became a seasonal item, with production beginning in late August and running through the fall, according to the National Confectioners Association.

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Around the turn of the 20th century, another candy company, Goelitz Confectionery (now Jelly Belly Candy Company) started selling candy corn.

Although the company didn’t invent the treat, it’s widely credited for producing the candy on a larger scale and marketing it as a Halloween product.

Candy corn is a highly debated treat, with some people loving it and others staunchly against it. (John Croft/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

About 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced annually, according to Farmers’ Almanac, but it’s a notoriously polarizing item.

"It's the only other candy I would hope for aside from Reese's pieces if I was trick-or-treating," a candy corn fan said on Reddit.

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Another person mentioned liking the treat, but said he or she "can only have a handful at most before the sweetness is overwhelming."

About 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced each year, according to Farmers' Almanac. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Another person on Reddit was fully against candy corn, saying, "It’s disgusting. Tastes like nothing or chalk and never sweet. Don’t like the texture. Don’t like the color."

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Expanding beyond the grocery store aisle, earlier this fall Brach’s, a large producer of candy corn, released a non-edible variation of the treat.

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The brand debuted a limited-edition perfume, called Ode to Candy Corn, which "smells just like the iconic treat tastes," per parent company Ferrara’s website.

Sadie Chafe is a writer on the Lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.