It’s Valentine’s Day, and everyone knows what the most important part of Valentine’s Day is—candy. There are certain candies associated with Valentine’s Day, some of which are good and some of which are… not. So this year, I decided to truly figure out what the best of these iconic candies are. 

In order to tackle such a serious question, I knew I needed to take a mathematical and statistical approach. So I carefully created a survey using google forms and received input from more than 40 Winchester students. On the form, I asked them to rate each of ten candies on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being terrible and 10 being your all-time favorite). From there, I found the average rating of each candy and ranked them accordingly. Below are those results from worst to best:

10. Laffy Taffy

Out of the ten candies tested, Laffy Taffy got the lowest average rating with an abysmal 4.90 out of 10. While the result is sad, I don’t think it’s surprising as Laffy Taffy sorta… sucks (sorry Laffy Taffy fans!). Even with its advertised “Jokes on every wrapper” (on the picture above), it’s still not enough to bring Laffy Taffy up from the bottom of this list. (The jokes must just not be that good.) 

9. Candy (Conversation) Hearts

This is maybe the most iconic Valentine’s day candy, so I was surprised to see it ranked so low (with a rating of 5.15 out of 10). But then I remembered that I don’t even like these. The messages are cheesy (and honestly a little weird coming from people you don’t know… or even people you do know) and they really don’t taste that good. 

8. Heart-Shaped Lollipops

As a heart-shaped lollipop fan, the 5.88 out of 10 average was a bit of a shock. Even though they only have one not-that-good flavor, the shape is just so fun! It’s Valentine’s Day; how can you not want a heart-shaped lollipop?

7. Nerds

Nerds came in 7th with a rating of 5.93, barely above that of heart-shaped lollipops. It seems like while WT students aren’t the biggest nerds fans, they’re not as bad as some (I’m looking at you Laffy Taffy). 

6. Starbursts

With a rating of 6.33, Starbursts almost made it into the top half but not quite. From its rating, it seems like most WT students see them as meh, not bad but not good enough to be their favorite. Maybe their mid-ranking is due to the fact that only some of the flavors are good, or because they’re kind of boring, or maybe it’s because they’re unsafe for elderly people’s teeth. Still, Starburst did receive much more 10s on their ratings than any of the other candies in the same rating range as them. So it seems that while some people really love them, no one else thinks they’re that good. 

5. Fun Dip

Fun Dip came in 5th with an average rating of 6.45, bringing about the top half of our list. As the only non-chocolate in the top five, it’s clear that what most WT students prefer is chocolate. Fun Dip probably did so well and beat out its other candy counterparts because it’s well… fun! Even though the sugar powder is a little strange, there’s something special about Fun Dip that makes it weirdly good. 

4. Hershey’s Kisses

While Hershey’s Kisses made into the top 5, with a rating of 6.83, it was at the bottom of the chocolate group. This is probably due to the fact that although chocolate is better than normal candy, Hershey’s Kisses are just boring (and their shape is kinda weird).

3. Chocolate Hearts

Chocolate Hearts received an average rating of 7.29 out of 10. Even though they’re basically the same thing as Hershey’s Kisses, something about them is just better. No surprise there.

2. Kit Kats

With an average rating of 7.98, Kit Kats took a close second-place. While they’re not that Valentine’s Day-ish compared to candies like conversation hearts or heart-shaped lollipops, Kit Kats are so good they fit any holiday. 

1. Box of Chocolates

In first place, with a fantastic average rating of 8.21, is the classic Valentine’s Day Box of Chocolates. This isn’t a surprising result as these are simply superior to everything else (even the picture is better!). Everyone who likes chocolate (which is all normal people) loves these. They have lots of variety, and they come in a fun heart-shaped box so points for that.

So, if you’re planning on going day-after-Valentines-Day-shopping, I hope this list helps you decide which candies to buy and which to skip.