People Actually Sued Over Reese's Pumpkins Not Having Faces

Four grown adults sued Hershey's because their Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins didn't have carved faces like the picture on the bag. They wanted $5 million. A judge, thankfully, said no.

Nathan Vidal bought three bags of Reese's Pumpkins in 2023 because he thought they'd have "cool-looking" carved faces. When he opened them and found regular pumpkin-shaped chocolate, he was "distraught." That's the word used in court documents.

The Victims

Vidal wasn't alone in his chocolate-induced suffering. Debra Kennick, Abdjul Martin, and Eduardo Granados joined the lawsuit, claiming they too were deceived by the packaging showing pumpkins with faces, ghosts with expressions, and other decorated shapes.

They said the marketing was "unlawful, fraudulent, unfair, misleading and/or deceptive." They demanded $5 million, claiming this represented three years of Florida sales of these special Reese's products.

$5 million, for chocolate without faces.

Hershey's Response Was Perfect

Hershey's basically told the court these people got exactly what they paid for: chocolate peanut butter candy that wasn't "defective, inedible or lacked the expected delicious taste."

They pointed out something obvious: the bags literally say "Decorating Suggestion" on them.

Then Hershey's delivered the killing blow: the packaging shows a pumpkin with a bite taken out of it. "No consumer acting reasonably would expect to buy a food product with a huge chunk bitten out," they argued.

The Judge's Ruling

U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian dismissed the case on September 19. She said the plaintiffs didn't provide enough evidence of economic injury. Translation: you can't claim damages because your candy didn't have a smiley face.

The judge did leave the door open for them to file an amended complaint. So theoretically, these people could try again with a better argument about why blank chocolate traumatized them.

What This Says About America

We live in a country where people think they deserve millions because seasonal candy doesn't match the artistic rendering on the package. Not because it made them sick. Not because it was contaminated. Because it didn't have carved faces.

Meanwhile, actual problems exist.

The Real Issue Nobody's Talking About

Ironically, what's actually deceptive is thinking you deserve $5 million because your expectations about candy decoration weren't met. Claiming you're "distraught" over smooth chocolate. Filing lawsuits over something a five-year-old would shrug off.

The packaging shows idealized versions of products. Every food package does this. Your Big Mac doesn't look like the advertisement. Your frozen pizza doesn't match the box. This is how marketing works, and everyone knows it.

Why This Matters

Frivolous lawsuits like this are why companies have to put ridiculous warnings on everything. "Coffee may be hot." "Do not eat the silica packet." "Decorating suggestion."

These four people wasted court time, legal resources, and probably their own money on lawyer fees because they couldn't handle disappointment over candy faces.

The Bottom Line

Reese's Pumpkins will continue being blank. Ghosts won't have faces. Footballs won't have laces. And that's fine because they're candy, not art projects.