{{Short description|Pumpkin-shaped creme confection}} {{Infobox food | name = Candy Pumpkin | image = File:Candy corn and candy pumpkins closeup, October 2006.jpg | caption = Candy corn and candy pumpkins | alternate_name = | country = United States | region = | creator = | course = | type = Confectionery | served = | main_ingredient = Corn syrup, honey, carnauba wax, sugar | variations = | calories = | other = }}
A '''candy pumpkin''' is a small, pumpkin-shaped, mellow crème candy primarily made from corn syrup, honey, carnauba wax, chocolate, and sugar. Traditionally colored with an orange base and topped with a green stem<ref>{{cite news|last=Flanigan|first=Kathy|date=September 21, 2001|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|title=Pieces of Autumn - Raking Up A Pile of Ideas for the Season|department=E Cue|page=16|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EEB25977B00B0BD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|archive-date=9 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609094311/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EEB25977B00B0BD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=live}}</ref> to make candy pumpkins largely identifiable with Halloween,<ref>{{cite news|last=Sulon|first=Bill|date=August 13, 2000|work=The Patriot-News|title=Area Retailers Start Early with Seasonal Candy Displays|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7211305_ITM|archive-date=17 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717201755/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7211305_ITM|url-status=live}}</ref> a candy pumpkin is considered a mellow crème by confectioners since the candy has a marshmallow flavor.<ref name="Products">{{cite book|last=Blachford|first=Stacey L.|date=20 October 2008|title="Candy Corn." How Products are Made|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/candy-corn|archive-date=24 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924034928/http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/candy-corn|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sometimes called candy corn's first cousin,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wheaton|first=Ken|date=October 29, 2007|journal=Advertising Age|title=Happy Halloween ... and watch out for the chickens!|volume=78|issue=43|page=57|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6398/is_/ai_n25582368}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> candy pumpkins are made through a starch casting process similar to that for candy corn.<ref name="Products"/> Brach's candy pumpkin, known by the trademarked name "{{US trademark|78708759|Mellowcreme}}" Pumpkins,<ref name="brachs/pumpkins">{{cite web |title=Pumpkins |url=https://www.brachs.com/products/halloween/pumpkins |website=Brach’s |access-date=28 February 2023 |language=en |archive-date=28 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228064007/https://www.brachs.com/products/halloween/pumpkins |url-status=dead }}</ref> is the most popular candy pumpkin.<ref name="Products"/><ref name="Brachs">{{cite news|date=October 13, 2004|work=PR Newswire Europe|title=Brach's, Nation's Top Candy-Corn Maker, Scares Up Halloween Fun; Kids of All Ages to Consume 2 Billion 'Kernels' in 2004, Brach's 100th Birthday|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-894531/Brach-s-Nation-s-Top.html|archive-date=15 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615062713/http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-894531/Brach-s-Nation-s-Top.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Lynne|date=17 September 2007|work=Supermarket News|title=Halloween presents supermarkets with a challenge to boost their candy market share|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://supermarketnews.com/center_store/sweet_season_3/index1.html|archive-date=16 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716164819/http://supermarketnews.com/center_store/sweet_season_3/index1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Brach's Confections is now owned by Ferrara Candy Company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ferrarausa.com/brands |title=Sugar Brands |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=ferrarausa.com |publisher=Ferrara Candy Company |access-date=January 6, 2023 |quote=Brach's |archive-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107041452/https://www.ferrarausa.com/brands |url-status=live }}</ref>
==History== Candy pumpkins are made using a similar process to make candy corn. The candy corn process and product were created by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Co. in the 1880s<ref>{{cite news|last=Saeger|first=Natalie|date=29 October 2007|work=The Spectator|title=History of candy corn. With new colors and flavors, a treat for all seasons.|department=Showcase|accessdate=18 October 2008|url=http://www.spectatornews.com/home/generalinformation/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124231026/http://www.spectatornews.com/home/generalinformation/|archive-date=24 January 2009}}</ref> and became popular as a treat in the 1920s.<ref name="Products"/><ref name="Stripped">{{cite news|last=Knauss|first=Christina Lee|date=October 29, 1997|work=Myrtle Beach Sun News|title=Stripped Candy Corn Now Symbolic of Fall|department=Food and Nutrition|page=D1|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MB&s_site=myrtlebeachonline&p_multi=MB&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB73C7F94619D18&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|archive-date=9 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609094348/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MB&s_site=myrtlebeachonline&p_multi=MB&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB73C7F94619D18&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=live}}</ref> Candy pumpkins first were produced in mid 20th century using a process similar to that of candy corn. Corn syrup, food coloring, honey, and sugar are beaten and heated in large kettles to produce an ultra-sweet syrup.<ref name="Stripped"/> This syrupy mix generically is called "mellow crème" by confectioners, since the resulting candy has a mellow, creamy texture.<ref name="Brachs"/><ref name="Stripped"/> The mellow crème slurry then was divided into two uneven amounts, with the large amount receiving orange food coloring and the smaller receiving green food coloring.<ref name="Stripped"/> A mogul machine brings the two colored mixtures together into a mold made of cornstarch, and the assembly is sent to a separate drying room to dry for 24 to 36 hours.<ref name="Stripped"/> Once dry, the candy is shaken violently to remove excess cornstarch and a final glaze is added to give the candy pumpkin a sheen.<ref name="Stripped"/> Candy pumpkins, acorns and other shapes that are derived from the mellow crème mixture are often sold with candy corn under the name "harvest mix."<ref name="Stripped"/>
==Impact== Candy pumpkins are popular in part because of their "interesting texture."<ref name="Stripped"/> As of 1988, most big confectionery companies, including Mars Inc., did not market special Halloween candies.<ref name="Broomsticks">{{cite news|last=Serlin|first=Bruce|date=October 23, 1988|work=The New York Times|title=What's New in Halloween Marketing; Innovations in Fangs, Broomsticks and Candy Corn|department=3|page=315|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/23/business/what-s-new-halloween-marketing-innovations-fangs-broomsticks-candy-corn.html|archive-date=11 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111094719/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/23/business/what-s-new-halloween-marketing-innovations-fangs-broomsticks-candy-corn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The one exception was Brach's Confections, which made candy pumpkins among other seasonal products.<ref name="Broomsticks"/> Their "Mellow crème Pumpkin" was made to look like an autumnal fruit; each pumpkin contained 25 calories and 5 grams sugar.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/10/30/kids-say-what-matters-about-halloween-candy/ |title=Kids say what matters about Halloween candy |last=Murphy |first=Candace |publisher=East Bay Times |date=October 30, 2006 |access-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-date=December 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212060028/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/10/30/kids-say-what-matters-about-halloween-candy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1992, Brach's Confections expected to sell more than 30 million pounds of mellow crème candy during the fall season, which included its seasonal mellow crème pumpkins.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lollar|first=Michael|date=October 15, 1992|work=The Commercial Appeal|title=The Trick to Halloween Treat Game|department=Appeal|page=C2}}</ref>
By the late 1990s, competitors of Brach's realized that the market for the special Halloween candy pumpkin was expanding. For example, in 1997, candy pumpkins and other mellow crème candies helped push annual spending on Halloween candy in the United States to an estimated $950 million a year.<ref name="Stripped"/> In response, Mars, Inc. came out with Snickers Crème Pumpkin in 1998.<ref name="Snickers">{{cite journal|date=November 9, 1998|journal=Product Alert by Marketing Intelligence Service LTD.|title=Snickers Chocolate Candy - Pumpkin|volume=28|issue=21}}</ref> The milk chocolate-covered peanut and caramel candy was packaged in a 1.20 oz. size with a plastic wrapper featuring a jack-o-lantern on the package.<ref name="Snickers"/> At the time, the Snickers Crème Pumpkin retailed for 50 U.S. cents.<ref name="Snickers"/> Two years later, in 2000, Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company cross-licensed with ConAgra Foods to produce Peter Pan Peanut Butter Pumpkins.<ref name="Frankford">{{cite journal|date=June 12, 2000|journal=Product Alert by Marketing Intelligence Service LTD.|title=Peter Pan Peanut Butter Pumpkins|volume=30|issue=11}}</ref> Peter Pan Peanut Butter Pumpkins included a "rich and creamy" Peter Pan peanut butter center pressed into a detailed pumpkin mold.<ref name="Frankford"/> At that time, the Peter Pan pumpkin candy was sold in 14 oz. bags.<ref name="Frankford"/> Also in 2000, Zachary Confections expanded its product line to include candy pumpkins.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pacyniak|first=Bernard|date=May 1, 2006|journal=Candy Industry by Stagnito Publishing|title=Staying fit|volume=171|issue=5|page=20|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/sector-42-wholesale-trade/merchantrs-nondurable/1175883-1.html|archive-date=26 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126023942/http://www.allbusiness.com/sector-42-wholesale-trade/merchantrs-nondurable/1175883-1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In addition to helping characterize Halloween, candy pumpkins played a role in the current U.S. implementation of daylight saving time. Since the 1960s, candy makers had wanted to get the trick-or-treat period covered by Daylight Saving, reasoning that if children have an extra hour of daylight, they would collect more candy.<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|last=Norris|first=Michele|date=March 8, 2007|work=All Things Considered|title=The Reasoning Behind Changing Daylight-Saving|quote=BLOCK: This may be kind of an urban legend, but I thought I had heard that one of the backers behind extending Daylight Saving Time into the beginning of November was the candy industry, and it all had to do with Halloween. Mr. DOWNING: This is no kind of legend. This is the truth. For 25 years, candy-makers have wanted to get trick-or-treat covered by Daylight Saving, figuring that if children have an extra hour of daylight, they'll collect more candy. In fact, they went so far during the 1985 hearings on Daylight Saving as to put candy pumpkins on the seat of every senator, hoping to win a little favor.|accessdate=29 October 2008|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7779869}}</ref> During the 1985 U.S. Congressional hearings on Daylight Saving, the industry went so far as to put candy pumpkins on the seat of every senator, hoping to win a little favor.<ref name="NPR"/> On July 8, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1986 into law; it contained a daylight saving rider which continued daylight saving time until the early morning of last Sunday in October;<ref name="NPR"/> this did not include Halloween night. In 2005, daylight saving time was extended to the first Sunday in November—just long enough to include Halloween.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Allen|first=Kent|date=November 5, 2007|journal=U.S. News & World Report|title=A Busy Time on the Shuttle; Sweet and Light for the Candy Lobby; Cool Home Prices Yield Hot Auction; A Masterpiece in the Muck and Mire|volume=143|issue=16|page=26|quote=Kids on the prowl for candy this Halloween will have a bit more daylight in which to do it. That's because of tinkering by Congress that extended daylight saving time. Of course, the candy lobby was strongly in favor. In 1985, candy makers gave out candy pumpkins to members of Congress, hoping to curry sweet favors. In 2005, they succeeded. This year DST is lasting eight months, one month longer than in past years and just long enough to include Halloween.}}</ref>
==See also== {{Commons category|Candy pumpkins}} {{portal|Food}} *Candy corn {{Clear}}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
Category:Confectionery Category:American inventions Category:Candy Category:Halloween food Category:Food for children