Every year, kids put a lot of effort into their costumes at Halloween, yet two in five kids (43%) say they have been left disappointed with the quality of treats received whilst trick or treating, with hard toffees, broken biscuits and mints, being voted the worst treats given out according to new research by HARIBO. The finding revealed that Halloween is by far kids’ favourite time of the year (61%) and that receiving treats was the best part (40%) of the season but getting the wrong treats has led to disappointment on the doorstep.
To help ensure everyone has a Happy Halloween this October, HARIBO has created Halloween Monster Approved – a definitive list of sweets created by kids, for kids, to help grownups avoid disappointment on doorsteps, defined by its own badge of approval, this year’s symbol of Halloween.
To make sure kids get a fair reward for their efforts, HARIBO polled 500 kids, aged 7 to 12, to discover the worst treats given out to trick or treaters on the spookiest night of the year, and to understand what treats they really want. Because at Halloween, nothing is as scary as getting the wrong treats.
According to the research, kids say hard toffees (19%), broken biscuits (17%) and old mints (16%) are the top offending treats handed out on Halloween. The research also found a carrot (14%), stale crisps (13%), rice cakes (12%) and even cough sweets (13%) are also among the worst items they’ve been gifted during their trick or treating ventures.
Phil Murphy, head of marketing at HARIBO, said: “Every year at Halloween, kids, not to mention their parents, go to huge efforts making their costumes look great. But adults and kids have different ideas on what the ultimate Halloween treat is. To help make Halloween a little happier, we’re launching the definitive list of Halloween Monster Approved treats to avoid disappointment and panic at the door. Because little monsters deserve HARIBO.”
61% of kids consider HARIBO & MAOAM their favourite sweet brands to receive at Halloween. HARIBO’s Halloween range is the perfect reward for hardworking little monsters with flavours to suit all tastes, it’s no wonder that gummy bears and Cola Bottles are within the top five sweets to receive.
Despite kids’ doorstep disappointment, when speaking to adults, 48% of grown-ups claim their treat game is strong, despite nearly a quarter of grown-ups (23%) admitting to handing out treats that don’t match the spirit of the season.
The study also showed that almost one in 10 (9%) adults say they have had their treats rejected on the doorstep because they were judged as not up to scratch by trick and treaters. This may be why more than half (56%) pretend not to be home when treat supplies are low or empty and there’s a knock at the door.
But what costumes bring in the biggest hauls? Children wearing classic horror costumes, such as witches (14%), zombies (12%) and vampires (11%), are more worthy of the best treats, while Batman (3%), Disney princesses (2%) and those dressed as Hermione Granger from Harry Potter (1%) fall short in producing a return for their costume efforts.
And whilst one in five (19%) feel kids put a huge amount of effort into their costumes it’s no surprise that 44 per cent of kids think grown-ups should do better to acknowledge all their hard work.
At Halloween, nothing is as scary as getting the wrong treats, so make sure the 31st October is a Happy Halloween and help our little monsters know where to find the good stuff. View the Halloween Monster Approved list by visiting https://www.haribo.com/en-gb/
