Introduction
How much do you know about America’s favorite candy? With Halloween just around the corner, candy sales will start to increase during the Halloween season. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are ranked the #1 most popular Halloween candy as of 2025 according to delish.com. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are known for their delicious chocolate ridges on the outside and peanut butter filling on the inside. What you didn’t know is the story behind one of the most popular Halloween candies, as well as one of the most well known Hershey’s brands.
How it was developed
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were created on November 15th, 1928 by a man named H.B. Reese. Reese originally called them “penny cups” because they would only cost a penny back then. Reese first worked at a Hershey dairy farm where he experimented with different kinds of Hershey’s chocolate to make more products for people to buy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were his most popular candy so he decided to discontinue all of his other candies and only focus on Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Merging the Company Into Something Bigger
After H.B. Reese died in 1956, the company was passed down to his six sons so that they could continue running the family company. On July 2nd, 1963, Reese’s six sons decided to work together with the Hershey Chocolate Corporation and combine the 2 companies together as a whole. In 1969, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups became the #1 selling candy of the Hershey Chocolate Company.
Different Variations
Over the years, there have been different variations and limited edition Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on sale. Some of them are only available during certain holidays, so after you try it the first time, you have to wait another year to buy it again. A popular variation of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup that isn’t holiday limited is the Big Cup and the King Size. The Big Cup was introduced in 2003 and later became a permanent feature of the brand. The King Size was introduced in 1987, originally weighing between 79.4 grams to 90.7 grams since 1991. Bite-Sized Miniatures weigh 70 grams and were introduced in 1978. Thins are 40% thinner than the original size, Thins were introduced in 2018. Sugar free Peanut Butter Cups are the same as the original except there is no sugar in them, they were introduced in 2003. The World’s Largest Sized Cup weighs 226.8 grams, they were introduced in 2011. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups also has different fillings such as caramel, chocolate lava, crunchy, crunchy cookie cup, double chocolate, double crunch, hazelnut cream, honey roasted, marshmallow, and peanut butter and banana creme. Unfortunately, some of these have been discontinued, making them really hard to find now. But some of the discontinued variations sometimes appear in stores.
Holiday Variations
Reese’s peanut butter cups also have limited edition peanut butter cups, as mentioned earlier. Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts are available during January through February to celebrate Valentine’s Day along with Reese’s Peanut Butter Roses. Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and Reese’s Peanut Butter Bunny are available during March and April to celebrate Easter. Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins, Ghosts, Bats are all sold separately during the months of September and October to celebrate Halloween. Reese’s Peanut Butter Christmas Trees, Bells, Snowman, Nutcrackers, and Ugly Sweaters are sold separately during November and December to celebrate Christmas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, next time you eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you can now think of the backstory behind it and realize how far it’s come since its introduction in 1928. It has come a long way since then and is now one of the most popular candies in America.
