Know Your Obscure Halloween Candy: Dots

With Halloween coming soon, that means only one thing really: candy.

Anyone who trick-or-treated as a child knows that there's always one or two houses that dish out some obscure candy. So, between now and October 31st, we'll take quick looks at obscure candies (and some popular ones as well), just so you know what exactly you're getting yourself into.


Today:  Dots

What it's made of:  Corn syrup, sugar, food starch, natural and artificial flavors, malic acid, artificial colors--you know, the usual.

Who owns it:  Tootsie Roll Industries

Background:  The Dots you flee from like your home is on fire know and love came about in 1945. But Dots are based off its parent candy, Crows, created in the 1890s, which are the same shape and style as a Dot, just black and licorice flavored (and still sporadically sold). It was all during an era when Americans were masochists and reveled in black licorice.

The Black Crows (no, not the horrible band) became a registered trademark for the candy in 1911. Thirty-four years later, flavored varieties hit the market in the form of Dots--giving us cherry, strawberry, lemon, lime, orange, and endless nightmares.

Dots' manufacturer praises its popularity, claiming to make over four billion individual pieces every year. To show how tasty they are, Dots are gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, certified as vegan by PETA, kosher by the Orthodox Union, and labeled as wrong by candy enthusiasts.

What it tastes like:  Boredom and a dentist visit.

Halloween Trick-or-Treat Grade:  C-

You'll never meet anyone over the age of 70 who doesn't treat Dots like a heroin addiction.