Hershey is bringing back its Reese’s Halloween pumpkins this month, nearly a year after the company won a lawsuit over claims that the seasonal candies disappointed shoppers by lacking the faces shown on their packaging. The peanut butter-and-chocolate treats are returning to shelves with the same smooth, oval look as before.
“We know what consumers love,” Katie DeCapria, Hershey’s senior brand manager for Halloween, said during a press conference outlining the candy maker’s fall lineup. “We have not made any changes to the Reese’s shapes.”
“The pumpkin is the cornerstone of our portfolio,” she said.
U.S. District Court of Southern Florida
For many Reese’s fans, the appeal has always been simple: chocolate wrapped around peanut butter, no matter how detailed the candy may or may not be. Still, the Reese’s pumpkins became the center of a legal fight in 2024, when a lawsuit accused Hershey of misleading consumers by advertising wrappers that showed smiling jack-o’-lantern designs not found on the actual candies.
A judge dismissed the case in September 2025, finding that shoppers could still enjoy the candy even if they believed the packaging had been misleading.
District Court of Southern Florida
On Thursday, almost one year after that courtroom win, Hershey announced 20 Halloween-themed products arriving in stores this week, calling it the biggest Halloween launch in the company’s history. The seasonal shopping period has stretched far beyond October, Hershey said, with consumers now starting spooky celebrations during the summer through the growing “summerween” trend.
Summerween describes Halloween-inspired parties and seasonal shopping that begin in the warmer months, a trend retailers have embraced by releasing fall-themed products earlier in the year. Halloween spending climbed to a record $13.1 billion in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation.
Hershey said roughly two-thirds of about 1,000 parents it surveyed had already purchased Halloween candy over the summer. Reese’s pumpkins, the company added, continue to rank among its most popular seasonal Halloween offerings.
Other Halloween treats accompanying the Reese’s pumpkins this year include Hershey’s cookies ‘n’ creme fangs, a fang-shaped candy that’s returning after being absent from shelves in 2025, and KitKats shaped like a vampire count and a witch.
The company is also introducing some non-chocolate treats, such as LesserEvil pumpkin spice popcorn and LesserEvil cheesy corn balls with Halloween packaging.
Alain Sherter
