Culture Kids

Stories of America: The Surprising History of Candy Corn!

Culture Kids

Show Notes

Did you know candy corn was once called “Chicken Feed”? This Halloween, hop aboard the Culture Train for a sweet journey through American history! Kristen and Asher travel back in time to a Pennsylvania farm in the 1880s to discover why so much of America’s corn was grown for animals, not dinner plates. Then they visit a bustling Cincinnati candy shop around 1900, where kids bought candy corn by the penny.

Along the way, families learn about guising, the old Irish and Scottish tradition that helped inspire trick-or-treating. They’ll also discover how a German immigrant family, the Goelitz family, helped make candy corn one of America’s most famous Halloween treats, and how their company grew into the candy maker we know today as Jelly Belly.

Learn more about candy corn and Jelly Belly Jelly Belly has made candy corn since about 1898, longer than any other candy company. Read more about its history at news.jellybelly.com/candy-corn-by-the-makers-of-jelly-belly, or visit jellybelly.com.

Please help us continue our adventures! Culture Kids is a nonprofit, and every adventure is made possible by families like yours. If you’d like to help us keep creating free stories that carry cultures and histories from one generation to the next, please consider a tax-deductible gift at culturekidsmedia.com/support. Thank you for being part of our Culture Kids family!

Credits

Hosted by Kristen Kim and Asher

Produced by Culture Kids Productions

Sound FX: Envato Elements

Sound Design: Kristen Kim

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

More from Culture Kids

Oct 9, 2026

Are bats and snakes really as spooky as they seem? Hop back aboard the magical Culture Train with Kristen, Asher, and Arden as we return to our Spooky Forest Adventure for Halloween!

Sep 24, 2026

In this episode, the Culture Train sails to Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, to meet Mark from the Polynesian Voyaging Society and step aboard Hōkūleʻa, a traditional double-hulled voyaging canoe. Kids learn how the Hawaiian Islands formed, what it means to sail using wayfinding (ancient, non-instrument navigation using the stars, sun, wind, and waves), and why this tradition still matters today.

Sep 11, 2026

Culture Kids heads to the bottom of the world this episode, Antarctica! Join Mom and Asher as they explore towering icebergs, meet emperor penguins and a very sleepy Weddell seal, then dive nearly two miles beneath the frozen Weddell Sea to uncover one of the greatest shipwreck discoveries in modern history: Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, lost for over 100 years and found perfectly preserved on the ocean floor in 2022.

Aug 28, 2026

Asher and Mom visit family friend Miral Sattar, whose roots stretch from Pakistan to Burma to Persia, for a hands-on lesson in how food becomes a love language across cultures. Kids will learn about Rooh Afza rose milk, crispy beef samosas, Burmese khow suey noodles, the tradition of chai hospitality, and creamy pistachio kulfi, all while discovering why sharing a meal is one of the most universal ways people show they care.

Aug 14, 2026

It's a Culture Kids first, an entire episode made by YOU! For this summer special, Kristen and Asher hand the mic over to the Culture Kids community, featuring voicemails sent in from listeners all around the world sharing what they love most about the show, plus a whole lot of jokes to keep things silly. This episode is a celebration of the curious, kind, and adventurous kids who make up the Culture Kids family, and a reminder that every single explorer who tunes in is part of what makes this show special.

See all episodes →