Mars Celebrates ‘Halfway to Halloween’
Plus, Hershey is rolling out Pokémon Hershey's Kisses and Hi-Chew debuted a Lychee & Raspberry flavor.
May 12, 2026 | 2 min read
Mars is getting a head start on spooky season, celebrating its third annual Halfway to Halloween report and unveiling its 2026 Halloween lineup.
Mars said this year it is leaning into Halloween treat trends with new textures and festive shapes, like the Skittles Pop'd, a freeze-dried version of the candy that delivers a crunchy, airy texture. For Halloween, it will be available in a limited-editing Creepy Crunch flavor.
The Twix brand is getting a makeover with the introduction of Twix Skull Singles and Twix Skull Share Size, offering a new shape for the cookie bar. Snickers is expanding its Pumpkin Shape offerings with a new pack featuring Snickers Fun Size Pumpkins. The company also said it responded to popular demand and is expanding its fun size bag lineup to include Skittles Sours and Gummies.
The Mars Halloween 2026 portfolio includes more than 60 variety bags, with piece counts ranging from 15 to 350.
Over at The Hershey Company, Hershey's Kisses is teaming up with The Pokémon Company International for a special-edition collection of 151 Poké Ball foil designs in addition to 10 new foils, inspired by the antagonists in the Pokémon world, Team Rocket.
In celebration of 30 years of Pokémon, the collection introduces a new narrative-driven experience, where Team Rocket is on a mission to steal every Hershey's Kisses foil design, Hershey said.
The LTO drop is available in 9-ounce share packs and 28-ounce party bags at participating retailers nationwide.
Meanwhile, Hi-Chew is introducing its new Hi-Chew Lychee & Raspberry Stick. The new 2-in-1 stick delivers a tangy-sweet dual-flavor chew, the company said.
“As the first dual-flavor stick in Hi-Chew’s U.S. portfolio, Lychee & Raspberry introduces an exciting new twist … Each chew offers a playful blend of tastes, featuring a uniquely tart and tangy raspberry outer layer complemented by a sweet, smooth lychee center that becomes more pronounced with every bite,” Hi-Chew said.
Hot Tamales is launching Hot Tamales Tropical Heat, “a dynamic fusion of bright tropical fruit flavors and bold heat. The result is a punchy sweet-then-spicy flavor,” according to Just Born Quality Confections.
Every box features three tropical flavor mashups: Fiery Lime, Mango Chili and Pineapple Picante.
