Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Dum Dum Lollipops Are The Worst Halloween Candy — And We Have Proof
A typical Halloween candy haul. (Elina Shatkin/LAist)
Fun fact: When you tape a bowl of Halloween candy to a table and tell a bunch of journalists they can eat all the candy they want as long as they don't move the bowl, the first thing a bunch of journalists will do is MOVE THE HALLOWEEN CANDY BOWL.
We are a recalcitrant bunch. We are skeptical of authority and we don't like people telling us what do, which is (hopefully) part of what makes us good at our jobs. But these traits do not make it easy when a food editor wants to perform a semi-secret social experiment on her colleagues.
Which is exactly what we did.
We attached a large bowl of Halloween candy — filled with all the good stuff and lots of bad stuff (hi, raisins!) — to the middle of the editorial table in the KPCC/LAist newsroom. We put a sign next to it that said not to move the bowl. Then we periodically photographed what was in the bowl to monitor candy attrition and gauge the popularity of various treats. #methodology
Despite the contempt for our signage and duct tape, we gleaned important evidence from our "study," which was sensitively documented by visual journalist Chava Sanchez, the David Attenborough of the urban newsroom.
In past years, we have asked you, our readers, to rank your favorite and least favorite Halloween candy. The results have been clear. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers come out on top. Smarties, Whoppers and Mike & Ike linger in the bottom.
Sponsored message
These scientific-adjacent results square with our personal, anecdotal experiences, collected from childhood through the present day.
But we didn't have proof... until now.
As suspected, all the best chocolate candy in our experiment was quickly eaten. More than two weeks later, Dum Dum Lollipops and a package of saltine crackers (????) are all that's left.
Below is a video we made from the footage. We call it "The Dance Of The Desperate Dum Dum." May all your Halloween bags meet a kind and chocolate-y fate.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
