Another year, another moral panic about poisoned Halloween candy. The myth that drug dealers are slipping expensive product into kids’ candy never seems to die—but it does always spawn a hilariously inspired collection of memes. This year, the “check your kid’s candy” meme, in which people claim to find outrageous items in Snickers bars and Skittles bags, got weirdly abstract. Here are the 15 best memes we found!
Kuzco’s poison
Here’s a callback to the sorceress Yzma’s fiendish plot to kill Emperor Kuzco in The Emperor’s New Groove. Remember the poison? The poison for Kuzco? Kuzco’s poison?
Troll posts
Troll posts are annoying enough on Twitter, and now they’re in our candy!? Where will it end??
An invasive silver carp
Sometimes, when institutional PR accounts get involved in memes, the results can be cringey. In this case, though, the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation hit it out of the park.
The Carina Nebula
Earlier this year, space lovers got their first glimpse of the breathtaking Carina Nebula, thanks to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. But come on, did Carina really need to show up in our Twix bars? Not cool.
A negroni sbagliato
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole deal with negronis, but apparently they’ve gotten so popular thanks to House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy’s viral favorite drink moment that they’re showing up in trick or treat bags. No words.
Two wolves
Inside you, there are two wolves. There are also two wolves inside this candy bar.
An unpaid edit test
You know when you apply for a job, and they give you a huge assignment to do as part of the interview but you don’t get paid for all the time you spend on it? Well, check your kid’s candy. No one is safe.
A fedora with safari flaps
Fans of I Think You Should Leave starring Tim Robinson will immediately get this joke. If you’re not one of those fans, then scroll on. I think it’s great.
The two trees of Valinor
If you’re a Rings of Power fan, you’ll instantly recognize the mystical realm of Valinor. If not, you can keep scrolling to the next meme, because that show is fine but not great. There, I said it.
A fundraising ask
Just stop it, Nancy Pelosi! Stop it!! I can barely afford to pay for my Negroni sbagliatos, let alone your campaign!
A mimic
If you play Dungeons and Dragons, you know that you don’t want to encounter a mimic anywhere, let alone your Snickers bar. The nerve of these people.
New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson
Don’t pimp that long drive unless you’re SURE it’s a homer! Otherwise you’ll end up in a Twix bar!
A turducken
Have these fiends no decency!? Who sneaks a delicious Thanksgiving meatpile into a poor, innocent child’s bag of wholesome treats?
The One Ring
Okay, you don’t have to be a Rings of Power fan to know this reference. This is what happens when you let the Dark Lord Sauron rise to power. Lesson learned.
Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights
Yes, we saved the best for last. Unfortunately, the original tweet seems to have been deleted, but luckily numerous Twitter users saved the picture for posterity and then claimed credit for the idea. I love social media!
Did you catch a good meme that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
(featured image: Getty Images)
Published: Oct 19, 2022 07:37 pm