50-Years of Brach’s Candy Corn Evolution – from 1953 to Today!

Today is October 30th, which is National Candy Corn Day – so I thought it would be the perfect time to bring together an extensive look back at how Brach’s Candy Corn packaging has changed over the decades.

This year the Brach’s line also received a complete packaging design overhaul and refresh, which I’ll also be touching upon.  There’s a lot of ground to cover (and over fifty images to share), so let’s get to today’s 50-year Brach’s Candy Corn Evolution!

Though the Brach’s brand (and its history with candy corn) goes back even further, the earliest my historical lens is able to peer back to is 1953.  That’s because I picked up an amazing Brach’s Fall-Winter sales catalog from 1953 earlier this year.  That catalog features a few wonderful pages dedicated to Halloween candy and candy corn:

Brachs_1953_Fall & Christmas Catalog Page 4

Brachs_1953_Fall & Christmas Catalog Page 5

Brachs_1953_Fall & Christmas Catalog Page 6

Because those catalog pages feature some great individual items, I’ve isolated and provided close-ups on a few:

Brach’s 1953 Halloween Tricks or Treats bag assorted catalog close-up

The graphics on these Halloween-themed hanging packs are fantastic.  I’d love to find some of these for my collection some day.

Brach’s 1953 Halloween Harvest Mix package catalog close-up

Brach’s 1953 Halloween Harvest Caramels catalog close-up

“Harvest Caramels”?  Those look pretty interesting.  Too bad, as I am fairly certain those haven’t been made in a long time – they were not present in the 1971 Brach’s Halloween catalog I covered earlier in our CountdownToHalloween.

Remaining in the 1950’s for a moment, I do have one piece from my collection to share – it’s a Brach’s Candy Corn plastic package.  This package features an ornately framed Brach’s logo very similar to that found in the 1953 catalog.  It’s one of my favorite pieces and I’ve never encountered another like it:

Brach’s Candy Corn 11oz candy package bag – 1950’s

Jumping ahead to the early 1960’s, here are a few clippings of Brach’s Halloween ads from consumer magazines.  If you look closely, you can see that the framing around the Brach’s logo has, by this point in time, lost the ornate carving look that it sported in the 1950’s:

1961 Brachs close-up 1

1961 Brachs close-up 2

1961 Brachs close-up 3

1962 Brachs close-up 1

1962 Brachs close-up 2

1965 Brachs close-up 1

During the middle 1960’s, Brach’s would introduce it’s block-letter style logo, a successful packaging rebranding which would endure for two decades with little alterations.  Here’s the earliest piece in my collection featuring the block-letter logo – a candy corn box:

Brach’s – Candy Corn 1-1/8 oz candy box – mid-1960’s

It’s interesting to note that this entire box design proved to be successful enough that Brach’s were still using it, largely unchanged, into the early 1980’s:

Brach’s – Candy Corn 1/2 oz candy box – 1980

Referencing that 1971 Brach’s Halloween article from earlier this month, you can see variations on the boxed candy corn theme, as they also offered Indian Corn:

Brachs_1971_HalloweenSalesFolder_ 0003_Close-Up

Here are a few other Halloween items from that 1971 Brach’s sales folder I wanted to include today:

Brachs_1971_HalloweenSalesFolder_Candy Corn and Mellowcremes

Brachs_1971_HalloweenSalesFolder_ Assorted 70-pack box

Brachs_1971_HalloweenSalesFolder_ Candy Corn & Jelly Beans

The block-letter Brach’s logo remained well in-use throughout the 1970’s and into the 1980’s.  Here’s a Brach’s candy corn plastic package from the late 1970’s/early 1980’s:

EJ Brachs and Sons – Brach’s – Candy Corn – 16 oz candy package – late 1970’s to early 1980’s

By the late 1980’s, Brach’s packaging would get a then-modern overhaul, as you can see on this next piece of Halloween packaging:

Brach’s – Scary Tarts Snacks – 12oz Halloween candy bag – late 1980’s – early 1990’s

From here, we will jump forward to the early 2000’s as I have no pieces to showcase from the ensuing years.  For the moment, it represents a significant missing link in my research.

Next up is a group of Brach’s candy corn (and other) Halloween packages from a decade ago:

Brach’s Confections – Autumn Mix – 11oz Halloween candy package – 2007

Brach’s Confections – Mellowcreme Pumpkins – 11oz Halloween candy package – 2007

Even at this stage in Brach’s lifecycle, they had begun to play with the flavors of candy corn:

Brach’s Confections – Milk Maid Caramel Candy Corn – 9_5oz candy package – 2006-2007

Brach’s Confections – Milk Maid Caramel Apple Candy Corn – 9_5oz candy package – 2006-2007

It was in 2007 that Farley’s and Sathers would acquire the Brach’s brand.  Here’s an early example of a Brach’s Candy Corn package, after the Farley’s and Sathers acquisition – note the smile-window packaging design:

Farley’s And Sathers – Brach’s – Candy Corn – 18 oz candy package bag – 2007

For the most part, Farley’s and Sathers would leave the look of Brach’s as it was, at least at first:

Farley’s & Sathers Candy Co – Brach’s Candy Corn – 99-Cent 10oz candy package – 2008-2009

By 2010, Farley’s and Sathers had completely redefined the look of Brach’s packaging. Gone was any remnant of the alternating color, block letter-style logo that had been on Brach’s packages in some form or another since the 1960’s.  Instead replaced by a logo with a unified, ornate look and horizontal/diagonal lines.  Here’s an all-year-round Brach’s Candy Corn package that prominently features that redesigned logo:

Farley’s & Sathers Candy Co – Brach’s – Candy Corn – 11oz all-year-round candy packaging – 2010-2013

They even introduced a scarecrow mascot for their Halloween seasonal product:

Farley’s and Sathers – Brach’s – Candy Corn – 4 oz candy box – 2012

In 2012, Farley’s and Sathers would merge with Ferrara Pan to form the Ferrara Candy Company.  In 2013, Ferrara Candy would release a full-lineup of Halloween product featuring tweaked designs from the most recent Farley’s and Sathers versions.  An emphasis would be put on how the candy corn was “made with real honey”, and the fanciful scarecrow mascot would be nowhere in sight:

Ferrara Candy Co – Brachs – Candy Corn – 4 oz candy box – 2013

2013 also saw the release of a pretty wide range of flavors, some of which were brand new that year:

Ferrara Candy Company – Brachs – Autum Mix candy package – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Indian Corn Candy – 11oz Halloween Fall seasonal candy packaging -2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brachs – Candy Corn – 5 oz candy package – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – S’mores Candy Corn – 10oz Halloween Fall seasonal candy packaging -2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brachs – Candy Corn – S’mores – 4.2 oz candy package – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Pumpkin Spice Candy Corn – 10oz Halloween Fall seasonal candy packaging -2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brachs – Candy Corn – Pumpkin Spice – 4.2 oz candy package – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brachs – Corn ‘N Nut Mix – Candy Corn & Peanuts candy packag – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Candy Corn & Peanuts – 4_2 oz candy package – 2013

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Caramel Apple Candy Corn – 9oz Halloween Fall seasonal candy packaging -2013

By 2014, Ferrara Candy Company was ready to put its stamp on the Brach’s brand and they did so by giving it a complete packaging overhaul and refresh.  But while the packaging design is new and modern, it evokes the brand’s heritage by bringing back a block-style logo similar to the one that was so well-loved, for so long.  I am a HUGE fan of this new Brach’s look – check it out:

Ferrara Candy Co – Brach’s – Classic Candy Corn – 4oz Halloween candy box – September 2014

Of course the whole lineup of candy corn flavors are also back, along with at least a couple new additions.

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Caramel Apple Candy Corn – 9 oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Classic Candy Corn – 5oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – S’mores Candy Corn – 4.2oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Mellowcreme Pumpkins – 5oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Mellowcreme Autumn Mix – 5oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Caramel Macchiato Candy Corn – 4.2oz candy package – October 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Apple Pie Candy Corn – 4_2oz candy package – October 2014

I think those look dynamite and in my opinion are a the best-looking Brach’s packages that have been on shelves in years.  They really nailed it bringing back some of the classic block letter styling in the new logo.

Beyond the classic candy corn line, the new Brach’s has also released a few candy corn-inspired products – starting with Candy Corn Gummies!:

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Candy Corn Gummies – classic candy corn shape and flavor – 11oz Halloween-Autumn candy package – September 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Triple Fruit Gummies – classic candy corn shape – 11oz Halloween-Autumn candy package – September 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Fruity Chewy Beans – classic candy corn colors – 14oz Halloween-Autumn candy package – September 2014

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Candy Corn Nougats – 12oz Halloween-Fall seasonal candy package – October 2014

So that’s the Brach’s Candy Corn story from 1953 all the way through to today (as much of it as I’ve uncovered thus far, at least).  The Brach’s brand history is pretty fun stuff and with a refreshed look I think it is poised to hit new heights going forward.

One final package I wanted to share for today’s post is not candy corn related, but is part of Brach’s new seasonal assortment.

It’s a special flavor of Brach’s Royals – Caramel Apple.  Now, I’ve tried a LOT of caramel apple confections and other products this year, and none of them hit the note as well as these Caramel Apple-flavored Royals.  I really dig these:

Ferrara Candy Company – Brach’s – Caramel Apple Royals – 10oz Halloween-Autumn candy package – September 2014

And that’s everything for today’s post.  It was a long haul but one I hope you enjoyed checking out.  See you next time!

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Today’s post has been part of CollectingCandy.com’s 2014 Countdown to Halloween. To check out other sites celebrating Halloween all month long, visit the official CountdownToHalloween site.  For more of CollectingCandy.com’s CountdownToHalloween posts, just click here.