The Most Popular Halloween Candy The Year You Were Born

Still not sure why they're fish-shaped, but these delicious gummies came to America from Sweden in the 1950s—and by the early '60s, they had a huge fandom.

Much to dentists' chagrin, this chewy candy was a hit with kids the year it launched. With a slogan of "Eat some now, kid," how could it not be?

SweeTarts were created by Sunline Candy Company as a neater alternative to Pixy Stix (you're welcome, parents).

Between the striped pattern and the zebra mascot, this gum easily found its fans when it launched this year.

Willy Wonka helped put this one on the map: The family film released this year had branded candies, like Laffy Taffy, under the Nestlé umbrella. The jokes on the back of each wrapper sealed the deal as a solid Halloween trade.

Another example of rebranding paying off: 'Triple Threat' suckers became Charms Blow Pops, and, well, who doesn't still love getting one at doctor's appointments?

Despite having to do some damage control in the early '80s when rumors spread that the candy could make your stomach explode if consumed with a carbonated dink, Pop Rocks were a big hit when they came to market this year.

In this very important year, Jelly Belly launched its first eight flavors: root beer, green apple, licorice, cream soda, lemon, tangerine, very cherry, and grape. This isn't the last you'll see of them though...

Tootsie Rolls had a moment in the late '70s, thanks to one catchy little jingle. Recorded by two kids, the highlight was "Whatever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me."

It's hard to believe there was ever a day Twix bars weren't in trick-or-treat bags. But, alas, these caramel bars came to the U.S. right before the '80s...and have been topping favorite candy lists ever since.

This was the year Big League Chew was born, and while the classic baseball design wasn't created until 1990, the candy was still immensely popular.

Told you we'd come back to this one! We can chalk this one up to President Ronald Reagan—he loved them so much, he reportedly requested them for all his inauguration parties. In fact, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, three and a half tons were on hand for the 1981 festivities.

Again, there's a pretty direct connection to the surge in popularity here: A little movie called E.T. famously featured the then-newish Reese's Pieces. The rest is history.

The candy with arguably one of the cutest mascots ever came onto the scene this year and has been a trick-or-treat mainstay ever since. The two-sided flavor packs are great for people that like options.

Skittles mostly became popular after introducing their "Taste the Rainbow" slogan in the early 1980s. By 1984, Skittles fever was out of control.

These "sour then sweet" little guys came to the U.S. this year—and they remain a candy favorite to this day.

Tootsie introduced these candies of yore just one year before they soared to uber-popularity.

The Hershey's bar you know and love got a creamier remix and was an instant hit.

This was the year Hershey's sent 144,000 heat-resistant chocolate bars to the troops serving in the Gulf War (something they also did during World War II).

Well, someone had the brilliant idea to put three times as many peanuts in Reese's as there had been in previous years, and the rest is history. Needless to say, it's not the last time you'll see them on this list.