[1] Candy corn has a reputation for generating polarizing responses, with articles referring to it as "Halloween's most contentious sweet"[1] which people either "love" or "hate".

[9] Along with other agriculture-inspired treats in the late 19th century, America's confectioners sought to market candy corn to a largely rural society.

[7] As of 2016[update], annual production in the United States was 35 million pounds, or almost 9 billion pieces of candy.

The production method, called "corn starch modeling",[13] likewise remains the same, though tasks initially performed by hand were soon taken over by machines made for that purpose.

[15] A popular variation called "harvest corn" adds cocoa powder;[16] it features a chocolate brown wide end, orange center, and pointed white tip.

The Valentine's Day variant, sometimes called "cupid corn",[17] typically has a red end and a pink center.

The Easter variant, sometimes called "bunny corn", is typically a two-color candy, and comes with a variety of pastel bases, pink, green, yellow, and purple, with white tips all in one package.

[citation needed] In 2022, Brach's released a tailgate variant with fruit punch, vanilla ice cream, popcorn, hotdog, and hamburger flavored pieces.