Mental Floss

CANDY

Ever wonder where the name ‘Snickers’ came from?

Surprise: Milky Way wasn’t named after our home galaxy. Let’s take a brief stroll down the etymological candy aisle and discover how these confections got named.

It's bad when even your Halloween bucket is upset.

Test your knowledge of the best and worst Halloween candies in this timed quiz.

Trunk-or-treat will probably be in a parking lot near you this Halloween.

Rather than go door-to-door, a lot of kids these days get their Halloween candy by going car-to-car.

Boston baked beans.

One key ingredient has linked the dish to Massachusetts—and it isn’t the actual beans themselves.

A regional delicacy.

The divisive confection wasn’t originally intended to be a candy at all—but that didn’t stop it from becoming a beloved treat in many parts of Northern Europe.

It‘s the perfect way to make a tasty dessert in a flash.

Update your classic campfire s’mores with this banana boat recipe.

Most of us have a sweet tooth on the Fourth of July.

From patriotic pancakes to trifle towers, these are the festive, Fourth of July foods people are Googling.

What do you hope to get in your basket on Easter morning?

According to Google search data, these are the most popular sweets across the U.S. for Easter 2025.

These cities are ideal for Easter lovers.

Birmingham, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo lead the way on this list of the best places to celebrate Easter.

Just watch out for the sugar crash.

Scientists claim that sugar rushes aren’t actually as real as you might think, but the origins of this myth go back deep into American history.

1985 Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream commercial.

Some discontinued Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors, like Black & Tan and Duff & D’oh! Nuts, have joined their kin in the Flavor Graveyard.

Some exciting changes might be coming to Wendy‘s.

Wendy’s may be taking a page from the McDonald’s and Dairy Queen playbooks in the coming months.

Peppermint bark is both elegant and fun.

Surprise your guests with this chocolate and peppermint treat.

In celebration of season 2 of Netflix‘s “Squid Game,” McDonald‘s released a new Happy Meal in Australia.

A critique of wealth inequality never tasted so good.

This strawberry pâte de fruit will be a hit with people of all ages.

Strawberry pâte de fruit are the fanciest gumdrops you’ll ever taste.

Celebrate the holidays with an Aldi Advent calendar.

Aldi’s shoppers, rejoice! The store’s 2024 Advent calendars are coming soon.

Halloween is a thing again in Des Moines.

Begging for candy on October 31 was banned after kids set one too many fires.

Give your trick-or-treaters what they really want.

Want to be the house everyone loves on Halloween? Hand out these popular candies.

You can do something good with unwanted Halloween candy this year.

Even candy corn.

Blowing gray bubbles just wouldn’t feel as fun.

We uncover why bubblegum is traditionally pink—and also explore what flavor bubblegum even is.