 Just Born Peeps in an Easter basket | |
| Product type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Owner | Just Born |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1953; 72 years ago (1953) |
| Previous owners | Rodda Candy Company |
| Website | www |
Peeps are amarshmallow confection marketed since 1953 in theUnited States andCanada in the shape of chicks, bunnies, and other animals, as well asholiday shapes, with themes revolving around Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, produced byPennsylvania-headquarteredJust Born.
Originally promoted primarily atEaster, Peeps have subsequently been marketed as "Always in Season", and have expanded toHalloween,Christmas andValentine's Day. Since 2014 the confection has been available year-round with the introduction of Peeps Minis.
Peeps ingredients includesugar,corn syrup,gelatin,food dyes and salt.
Peeps are produced byJust Born,[1] a candy manufacturer founded inBethlehem,Pennsylvania, by an immigrant fromVinnitsa in theRussian Empire (now inUkraine),Sam Born (1891–1959).
In 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line. Sam's son,Bob Born, replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production in 1954.[2][3] When founder Sam Born displayed a sign for his freshly made candy, he titled it "Just Born", playing off of his last name and the fact that he made his candy fresh daily.[4] According to Mary Bellis, the newly purchased company, Just Born, was soon the "largest marshmallow candy manufacturer in the world."
Just Born began producing other shapes in the 1960s, following seasonal themes. Twenty years later, the Marshmallow Peeps Bunny was released as a popular year-round shape of the candy.[5] The yellow chicks were the original form of the candy — hence their name — but then the company introduced other colors and, eventually, the myriad shapes that are now produced. Peeps were manufactured in different colors, such as lavender starting in 1995 and blue in 1998. Prior to that, they were only being produced in the traditional colors: yellow, pink and white. New flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate were introduced between the years of 1999 and 2002.[5]
In 2003, the Peeps Fun Bus conducted a tour across the country to promote the brand. The tour included giveaways and games and was decorated with a giant Peep on the top of the bus.[6]
In 2009, Just Born expanded the Peeps product line further by introducing Peeps Lip Balm in four flavors: grape, strawberry, vanilla, and cotton candy.[7] Just Born has come out with several other various accessories. Items such as nail polish, wrist bands, umbrellas, plush toys, golf gloves, earrings, and necklaces are produced and sold online and in retail stores. Other companies have produced items based on the popular Peeps candy. Peeps micro bead pillows were made by Kaboodle and conform to one's shape. The company Kaboodle promises that "they'll last a lot longer than their edible counterpart!"[8] Ranging from infant sizes to adult sizes, Peeps Halloween costumes can also be found on the shelves of several costume stores. The first Peeps & Co. store opened in November 2009 in National Harbor, Maryland,Prince George's County.[9] Peeps & Company retail stores were later opened in Minnesota (as of 2019, shut down due to low profits) and Pennsylvania.[10] In 2014, Peeps Minis were introduced, and were intended to be available year-round.
In 2023,Bob Born, a son of the Just Born founder, died at age 98. He was known as the "Father of Peeps" for automating the production of Peeps.[11]
A "Peeps Eating" contest is held each year atNational Harbor in front of the Peeps & Company store.[12] The 2017 winner,Matt Stonie of California, ate 255 Peeps in five minutes.[13] The first such event was arranged by Shawn Sparks in 1994, and had only six participants.[14] Dave Smith started an annual Peep Off inSacramento after contacting a participant in the first Peep Off.[15][16] Another contest in Maryland asks that participants create a diorama of a culturally important scene from the modern era, featuring a number of Peeps. The winner gets two free inflatable life jackets.[17]
Several newspapers hold annual contests in which readers submit photos of dioramas featuring Peeps. TheSt. Paul Pioneer Press was the first paper to hold such a contest.[citation needed] Similar contests are put on by TheChicago Tribune, and theSeattle Times. These contests frequently correspond with theEaster holiday. MIT also has a yearly Peeps contest.[18] TheWashington Post held an annual contest until 2017, when it was discontinued. The smallerWashington City Paper introduced their contest in its place.
TheRacine Art Museum holds the Annual International Peeps Art Exhibition each April.[19] Anyone can enter the contest, centered on the theme "peep-powered work of art".[20]
The following are other contests held in various states. Peepsjousting consists of putting two Marshmallow Chicks into the microwave and seeing which one gets the biggest and therefore affects/deforms the other. "Peepza" is a dessert pizza made with Peeps. Also, blogs were created according to Fox News entitled "101 Fun Ways to Torture a Peep."[10]
Peeps are sometimes jokingly described as "indestructible". In 1999 scientists atEmory University jokingly[21] performed experiments on batches of Peeps to see how easily they could be dissolved, burned or otherwise disintegrated, using such agents as cigarette smoke, boiling water and liquid nitrogen.[22] In addition to discussing whether Peeps migrate or evolve, they claimed that the eyes of the confectionery "wouldn't dissolve in anything".[23] One website claims that Peeps areinsoluble inacetone, water, dilutedsulfuric acid, andsodium hydroxide (the site also claims that the Peeps experimental subjects sign release forms).[24] Concentratedsulfuric acid seems to have effects similar to the expected effects of sulfuric acid on sugar.[25]
This debate featured in an episode of thesitcomMalcolm in the Middle ("Traffic Jam"), in whichFrancis, insisting the "Quacks" (as they were called) would dissolve in his stomach rather than expand, takes up the dare to eat 100 of them and does so, but gets very sick in the process.
When exposed to air, marshmallow dehydrates and becomes "stale" and slightly crunchy. According to Just Born, 25%–30% of their customers prefer eating Peeps stale.[26]
Barry Church, a football player for the Dallas Cowboys, was unable to attend training camp due to an unexpected root canal caused by eatingJolly Ranchers. Just Born offered Church a season's supply of their product—in that marshmallows are a lot softer on the teeth.[27]
Several recipes and creative ideas to alter Peeps have been invented.Fox News Magazine published an article in 2013 including several recipes from various creators, including Peepssmores, Peepspancakes, home-made chocolate covered Peeps, Peeps marshmallow chocolate chip cookies, Peepsbrownies, Peepspopcorn, Peepsfrosting, Peeps Krispie Treats, and Peepssyrup.[28]
Peeps can also be used as a marshmallow topper for hot chocolate.[29]
A recipe for "Peepshi" involves placing a Peep onto aRice Krispie Treat and wrapping it in aFruit by the Foot, to create a single "Peepshi roll" in the style of asushi roll.[30]
In April 2017, several internet andTwitter postings, and TV news stories claimed 'outrage' that Peeps were being used as a pizza topping.[31][32]
In March 2021, Just Born and Pepsico (maker ofPepsi products) announced a "limited edition" of "Peeps marshmallow cola" soft drinks.[33]
On April 22, 2014,Adam Rifkin acquired the feature film and TV rights to the classic candies to make a franchise of it.[34] Then, on April 5, 2021, it was announced that Wonder Street has acquired the rights to the candies with David Goldblum writing and producing alongside Christine and Mark Holder. The film's plot centered around a ragtag group of Peeps characters who set out on a cross-country journey in order to attend Peepsfest, an annual brand celebration in Pennsylvania.[35]
That all changed in 1954. That's when Bob Born, who was a member of the family that founded the company, and a colleague invented a machine that could make Peeps automatically.
