Spooky survey finds Haribo remains ghoulishly good, amid wider doorstep disappointments
It’s official. The children of Britain have spoken of their frightful disappointment and devilish dismay at the quality of treats received on their annual trick or treat missions, according to a new study from Haribo, reports Neill Barston.
Far from being a entirely ‘fangtastick’ magical experience, youngsters across the land have vented their feelings on the topic, with 43% of kids saying they were left feeling unimpressed by an assortment of hard toffees, broken biscuits and mints being dispensed as offerings on British doorsteps for spooky celebrations.
Intriguingly, the study of 500 young people aged 7-12 said that Halloween is in fact by far their favourite time of year (60%), and that the treating aspect was the best part of it (according to 40%), but being on the receiving end of a poor selection of items were proffered up by residents.
Consequently, to help ensure everyone has a Happy Halloween this October, Haribo has created Halloween Monster Approved – a definitive list of sweets created by kids, for kids, to help grownups avoid disappointment on doorsteps, defined by its own badge of approval, this year’s symbol of Halloween (see the campaign video here).
So, according to the poll, kids say hard toffees (19%), broken biscuits (17%) and old mints (16%) are the top offending treats handed out on Halloween. The research also found a carrot (14%), stale crisps (13%), rice cakes (12%) and even cough sweets (13%) are also among the worst items they’ve been gifted during their trick or treating ventures.
In terms of seasonal favourites, 61% of of kids consider Haribo & Moam their favourite sweet brands to receive at Halloween, with its present series designed to keep even the most demanding of little monsters happy with flavours to suit all tastes. Gummy bears and cola Bottles are within the top five sweets to receive.
Phil Murphy, Head of Marketing at Haribo, said: “Every year at Halloween, kids, not to mention their parents, go to huge efforts making their costumes look great. But adults and kids have different ideas on what the ultimate Halloween treat is. To help make Halloween a little happier, we’re launching the definitive list of Halloween Monster Approved treats to avoid disappointment and panic at the door. Because little monsters deserve Haribo.”
According to the company, despite kids’ doorstep disappointment, when speaking to adults, 48% of grown-ups claim their treat game is strong, despite nearly a quarter of grown-ups (23%) admitting to handing out treats that don’t match the spirit of the season.
The study also showed that almost one in 10 (9%) adults say they have had their treats rejected on the doorstep because they were judged as not up to scratch by trick and treaters. This may be why more than half (56%) pretend not to be home when treat supplies are low or empty and there’s a knock at the door.
But what costumes bring in the biggest hauls? Children wearing classic horror costumes, such as witches (14%), zombies (12%) and vampires (11%), are more worthy of the best treats, while Batman (3%), Disney princesses (2%) and those dressed as Hermione Granger from Harry Potter (1%) fall short in producing a return for their costume efforts. And whilst one in five (19%) feel kids put a huge amount of effort into their costumes it’s no surprise that 44 per cent of kids think grown-ups should do better to acknowledge all their hard work.
At Halloween, nothing is as scary as getting the wrong treats, so make sure the 31st October is a Happy Halloween and help our little monsters know where to find the good stuff. View the Halloween Monster Approved list by visiting https://www.haribo.com/en-gb/monsters-approved
