Candy corn is widely credited to George Renninger , a candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia, and it was first created in the 1880s.

Quick Scoop

  • Inventor: George Renninger, a candymaker working for Wunderle Candy Company in Pennsylvania/Philadelphia.
  • Era of invention: The 1880s, making candy corn more than a century old today.
  • Early name: Originally marketed as “Chicken Feed” because it was designed to look like corn kernels and appeal to a farming audience.
  • First mass production: Around 1900, the Goelitz Confectionery Company (now Jelly Belly) began large-scale production, helping cement it as a classic Halloween candy.

How and why it was created

  • The tri-colored design (yellow, orange, white) was considered innovative at the time, mimicking real corn kernels in a playful way.
  • It fit an agrarian America: agricultural-themed sweets were popular because so many people worked in farming, and corn-shaped candy connected directly to everyday rural life.

Fun historical notes

  • Early on, candy corn was sold as a penny candy in bulk bins under the name “Chicken Feed,” often featuring farm-themed packaging.
  • Its strong association with Halloween came later, as trick-or-treating grew in popularity and the fall harvest theme made the candy a natural seasonal fit.

TL;DR: When people ask “who invented candy corn and when was it first created” , the commonly accepted answer is George Renninger in the 1880s, originally sold as “Chicken Feed” before becoming a Halloween staple.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.