Halloween Candy from the Past Kids Won't Find Today

Remember that moment as a kid when you stormed the neighborhood on Halloween night, bucket in hand, and zeroed in on the candy that made your eyes light up? Sure, chocolate bars and fruity chews always got the first pick, but there were always a few oddballs in the mix—candies that made you pause, scratch your head, or trade with a more adventurous friend.

One of the strangest—and somehow most nostalgic—was the orange-and-black-paper-wrapped taffy blob with a peanut butter center. Adults might have loved it or grimaced at it, but either way, it was an acquired taste. Meet the Peanut Butter Kiss—a candy without flashy logos, a bit of a tooth-challenging texture, and, back in the day, a wrapper that made every parent worry a little thanks to the era of razor blade scares.

Though Peanut Butter Kisses never exactly topped the popularity charts, their disappearance isn’t because kids suddenly decided they were “gross.” It’s mostly a story of candy company turmoil. The original maker, Charles N. Miller Company, was swallowed up by The New England Candy Company in 1990 as financial struggles mounted. That was only a temporary lifeline, and New England Candy eventually declared bankruptcy in 2018. So while you won’t find them lining every grocery store aisle anymore, they haven’t vanished entirely—you just need to know where to look.

A Century-Old Sweet with Serious History

Originally called Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses, these candies have been around since at least 1907, with official production kicking off in 1914. Charles N. Miller named them after his aunt, adding a “kiss” of peanut butter to complete the moniker. The recipe back then was a molasses-based taffy wrapped around a preserved peanut butter paste—and while today’s version swaps in artificial colors, the core flavor hasn’t changed much in over a century.

The wrappers have stayed true to the original, too: simple wax paper in festive Halloween colors. That low-tech approach gave them a slightly rustic charm—but also meant they could dry out if they lingered too long. For fans, the chewy toughness and chalky peanut butter filling are part of the magic. For others… well, let's just say it could double as a dental challenge if someone handed out leftovers from the previous year.

Where to Find Them Today

Good news for candy nostalgists: you can still snag a bag. Melster Candies, around since 1919, makes its own version of Peanut Butter Kisses and is now the only producer of these orange-and-black-wrapped oddities. They’re sold online, so you can relive the flavor—or, if you’re feeling mischievous, hand them out to a new generation of trick-or-treaters and watch the reactions. Prices might be higher than the classic dollar-store deal, but considering the current candy market, it’s still a sweet bargain.

So this Halloween, if you want to savor a bite of candy history, grab a bag of Peanut Butter Kisses. They’re a little chewy, a little strange, and 100% nostalgic—a reminder that sometimes the weird candies are the ones that stick with you the longest.