"Chicken Feed" was the original name of the candy with production starting in the late 1880s. It was first invented in the 1880s by a Wunderle Candy Company employee, George Renninger. Wunderle Candy Company was the first to produce the candy in 1888. The Goelitz Confectionery Company (now called Jelly Belly) began manufacturing the product in 1898

 

Along with other agriculture-inspired treats in the late 19th century, America's confectioners sought to market candy corn to a largely rural society. During the late 19th century, "butter cream" candies molded into many types of nature-inspired shapes, including chestnuts, turnips, and clover leaves were quite popular but what made candy corn stand out was its bright and iconic tri-color layering. Although it is currently most popular in the fall, candy corn was not always associated with the fall and Halloween season. For the first half of the 20th century, candy corn was a well-known "penny candy" or bulk confectionery, and it was advertised as an affordable and popular treat that could be eaten year-round.

Candy corn developed into a fall and Halloween staple around the 1950s when people began to hand out individually wrapped candy to trick-or-treaters. The harvest-themed colors and increased advertising in October also helped candy corn become a fall staple.

The National Confectioners Association has deemed October 30, the day before Halloween, "National Candy Corn Day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_corn

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