Last year, Hershey prevailed in a lawsuit that claimed Reese’s featureless Halloween pumpkins were a consumer disappointment. Starting this month, the spooky treats will return to store shelves, albeit without any changes to their smooth, oval shapes. “We know what consumers love,” Katie DeCapria, senior brand manager for Halloween at Hershey, said at a news conference about the candy company’s fall line. “We haven’t made any changes to Reese’s ways.” “Pumpkin is the cornerstone of our portfolio,” he added. A photo of an unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin as part of a 2024 lawsuit alleging false advertising about the difference between the wrapper and the appearance of real candy. U.S. District Court of Southern Florida Of course, candy fans might say that it’s hard to go wrong with a combination of peanut butter and chocolate, regardless of the shape or characteristics of the candy. The legal dispute over Reese’s pumpkins began in 2024, when a lawsuit alleged that Hershey’s candy ads were misleading because the smiling pumpkin designs on the wrappers were not on the actual candy. In September 2025, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, noting that consumers could still enjoy the candy even if they felt misled by the packaging. A 2024 lawsuit alleged that Hershey had engaged in false advertising by depicting chocolate pumpkins with carved faces, when the unwrapped chocolates were blank. A judge dismissed the lawsuit on Sept. 19, 2025. South Florida District Court On Thursday, nearly a year after that court victory, Hershey said it will introduce 20 Halloween-themed products hitting stores this week, marking the company’s biggest Halloween launch. The annual event is now celebrated for about a third of the calendar year as consumers start their spooktacular celebrations earlier, beginning with “mid-summer” celebrations in the warmer months, according to Hershey. Summerween refers to Halloween-themed celebrations that some consumers host in the summer months, and retailers participate by introducing fall-themed products earlier in the year. Halloween spending hit a record $13.1 billion in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation. About two-thirds of the roughly 1,000 parents surveyed by Hershey reported purchasing Halloween candy this summer. Reese’s pumpkins remain one of the company’s most popular Halloween items, Hershey said. Other Halloween treats accompanying Reese’s pumpkins this year include Hershey’s Cookies and Cream and Fangs, a fang-shaped candy returning after being absent from shelves in 2025, and KitKats shaped like a vampire count and witch. The company is also introducing some non-chocolate treats, like LesserEvil Pumpkin Spice Popcorn and LesserEvil Cheesy Corn Balls with Halloween wrappers. Edited by Alain Sherter More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press In:
