In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, what candy does Elliott use to lure the alien?

In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Elliott uses Reese’s Pieces to lure the alien.

Elliott leaves a trail of the colorful peanut-butter candies outside his home after discovering the stranded extraterrestrial in a forested area. The alien follows the trail, allowing Elliott to bring him indoors and begin hiding him from adults. The scene helps establish the bond between the boy and E.T.

The candy became closely associated with the film after Mars declined an opportunity to license M&M’s for the scene. The Hershey Company promoted Reese’s Pieces instead, and the product received major exposure through the movie.

Steven Spielberg directed the 1982 film, which starred Henry Thomas as Elliott and introduced E.T. as a creature stranded on Earth. The candy detail is sometimes misremembered as M&M’s because both are small, colorful, branded sweets.