Halloween is a time to resurrect our favorite monsters, and at Dunkin’, that means Spidey D. To understand how he entered his villain era, we’re taking a look at the evolution of Dunkin’s Spider Donut and how he became everyone’s favorite agent of chaos.
2024: The Origin Story
In October 2024, the Spider Donut affectionately known as “Spidey D” appeared in Dunkin’s social media feed for the first time – and promptly refused to leave.
With chaotic takeover posts sharing memes and jokes in what has become Spidey D’s signature cheeky style, this itsy bitsy spider quickly went viral, capturing more than 30K comments and millions of likes across Instagram, TikTok, and X. To give back to his new but growing fanbase, Spidey D launched his own merch line, telling fans to “buy now (this is a threat).”
After a month of posts, Spidey D finally crossed a line that even the Dunkin’ social team couldn’t forgive: leaking the upcoming Dunkin’ holiday menu. That same day, the brand posted a final video of Spidey D, caught and contained in a Dunkin’ Halloween MUNCHKINS® Bucket.
2025: The Long-Awaited Sequel
Exactly one year later (and after more than 45K comments asking to bring him back), the 152 Washington Street Dunkin’ in Salem, Massachusetts reported “suspicious activity” it experienced in early October. Covered in purple webs and misspelled graffiti, guests didn’t have to think too hard to identify the culprit.
In response, Dunkin’ immediately put out the call to find the “problematic spider donut.” Meanwhile, Spidey D managed to crawl his way back into the brand’s official accounts, launching a new line of merch (complete with a Spidey D costume) and giving away one million coffees with a THANKYOUSPIDEY promo code in the Dunkin’ App. Plus, multiple posts with all the usual cheek (“im not ur pumpkin but i sure am spicy”) fans have come to expect.
Just days away from Halloween, the Dunkin’ social media team was relieved to post that Spidey D had once again been caught, and his login credentials? Revoked.
2017 – 2023: The Backstory
Dunkin’s Spider Donut first made its debut in 2017, introduced as a classic donut frosted with orange icing and a “sweet-not-scary eight-legged donut creature” made from a Glazed MUNCHKINS® Donut Hole Treat and orange drizzle eyes. In 2018, the Spider Donut upgraded to a Glazed Chocolate MUNCKIN® Donut Hole Treat and white icing for eyes, making a pretty cute donut.
The 2018 design would remain unchanged for the next six years, offered every Halloween with orange icing, a Glazed Chocolate MUNCHKINS® Donut Hole Treat, chocolate drizzle spider legs, and vanilla-flavored icing for eyes. Then in 2024, Dunkin’ swapped the orange for purple icing to unveil a “revamped Spider Specialty Donut” with a spookier vibe. And just a few weeks later, Spidey D made his debut.
So how does a Spider Donut go so bad?
With a little help from an incredible team.
“Spidey D is your cutest nightmare. He’s menacing and punchy,” explains Dunkin’ Manager of Integrated Marketing Communications Sarah Schlesinger. “He’s a fun extension of our beloved brand voice. Thanks to him, we’ve had more guests enjoy Spider Donuts in 2024 than ever before, and we surpassed that number again with all the mayhem he caused in 2025.”
Can’t get enough of Spidey D? Follow him on his preferred platforms, Dunkin’s Instagram and TikTok.
