On Halloween night in 1974, an eight-year-old boy in the Houston suburbs got Pixy Stix laced with cyanide. He wasn’t the only one. So did four other kids who were trick-or-treating that night. It made poisoned candy an overnight terror to parents nationwide. In this episode from our friends at the food true crime podcast Outlaw’s Digest, we hear the story that inspired a fear of Halloween candy for decades to come. Along the way, we take a dip into the surprising origins of Pixy Stix, and check in with host KC Hysmith’s family to hear how the candy poisonings change candy’s peak holiday.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This episode was produced by Good Egg Audio, an independent worker cooperative, and KC Hysmith.

Interstitial music in this episode by Rebecca Ryskalczyk and Black Label Music:

• "On The Floor" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
• "Madame's Prophecy" by William Van De Crommert

Photo courtesy of TheDeliciousLife/flickr licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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