Peeps

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For other uses, see Peep (disambiguation).
Peeps
Pink peeps.jpg
Origin
Place of origin United States
Creator(s) Rodda Candy Company
Details
Type Confectionery
Main ingredient(s) Marshmallow, corn syrup, vegetable gelatin, and carnauba wax

Peeps are marshmallow candies, sold in the United States and Canada, that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals. There are also different shapes used for various holidays. Peeps are used primarily to fill Easter baskets, though recent advertising campaigns market the candy as "Peeps - Always in Season", as Peeps has since expanded to include Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day. They are made from marshmallow, corn syrup, vegetable gelatin, and carnauba wax.

Contents

History[edit]

Peeps bunnies in an Easter basket

Peeps are produced by Just Born,[1] a candy manufacturer founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Russian immigrant Sam Born. In 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line, and replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production.[2] 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 in which they are now produced.

In 2009, Just Born expanded the Peeps product line further by introducing Peeps Lip Balm in four flavors: grape, strawberry, vanilla, and cotton candy.[3] The first Peeps & Co. store opened in November 2009 in Prince George's County.[4]

Contests and competitions[edit]

Orange pumpkin Halloween Peeps

An annual "Peep Off" competition is held in Maryland on the first Saturday after Easter, when Peeps are greatly discounted, to see who can eat the most in 30 minutes. The first such event was arranged by Shawn Sparks in 1994, and had only six participants.[5] Dave Smith started Sacramento's record-holding (102 eaten) annual Peep Off after contacting Jack Eidsness, a participant in the first Peep Off, with a question about it, through Mr. Eidsness' Peep-themed website.[6][7]

The popular YouTuber John Green has stated (after several peep eating competitions with his brother and other Nerdfighters) that it is impossible to eat more than 12 and a half peeps in a single sitting.[8]

Several newspapers hold annual contests in which readers submit photos of dioramas featuring Peeps. The St. Paul Pioneer Press was the first paper to hold such a contest.[citation needed] Similar contests are put on by The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times. These contests frequently correspond with the Easter holiday. MIT also has a yearly Peeps contest.[9]

The Universal Record Database has many world records that involve Peeps.[10]

The Racine Art Museum is sponsoring the International Peeps Competition from April 1–28. Anyone can enter the contest, centered around the theme "peep-powered work of art".[11]

Alleged indestructibility[edit]

Peeps are sometimes jokingly described as "indestructible". In 1999, scientists at Emory University jokingly[12] 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.[13] In addition to discussing whether Peeps migrate or evolve, they claimed that the eyes of the confectionery "wouldn't dissolve in anything".[14] Furthermore, a similar joke website claims that Peeps are insoluble in acetone, water, diluted sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide (the web site also claims that the Peeps experimental subjects sign release forms).[15] Concentrated sulfuric acid seems to have effects similar to the expected effects of sulfuric acid on sugar.[16]

This debate was featured in an episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle ("Traffic Jam"), in which Francis, insisting the "Quacks" (as they were called) would dissolve in his stomach rather than expand, takes up the dare to eat 100 of them, doing so, but getting very sick in the process.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lehner, Marla (2003-04-17). "The Power of Peeps". Fox News. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
  2. ^ "Peeps: A candy and a technological wonder". USA Today. Associated Press. 2003-04-16. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
  3. ^ Zimmer, Erin (April 2, 2009). Peeps Lip Balm, Reviewed. 
  4. ^ Mui, Ylan Q. (July 9, 2009). "Peeps Are Hopping to Their Own Store at National Harbor". WashingtonPost.com. 
  5. ^ Jack Eidsness (before April 1996). "The unofficial Marshmallow Peep page". Retrieved 2007-07-09. [dubious – discuss]
  6. ^ Vincent P. Bzdek (11 April 2004). "50 years of turning Easter into one big Peeps show". Oakland Tribune (reprinted from Washington Post article). Retrieved 2007-08-09. 
  7. ^ First Peeps store is a mecca for all their 'peeple', Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2009
  8. ^ Green, John. "Peeptastic". Retrieved 9 March 2007. 
  9. ^ Alum.mit.edu
  10. ^ "Peep World Records". Retrieved 2010-04-02. [dubious – discuss]
  11. ^ Zagat Buzz Blog: It's Peeps Art Time! March 22, 2011
  12. ^ "Emory pair unlocks the mystery of Peeps". Emory Report. Emory University. 1999-03-29. Retrieved 2012-07-02. 
  13. ^ Severson, Kim (April 3, 1999). "Peeps Rule Roost / Easter's unofficial marshmallow treat now a chic and easy target to spoof". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-03-04. 
  14. ^ "What Do You Call a Guy Who Cuts Apart Peeps?". U S News. October 3, 1999. Retrieved 2009-03-01. 
  15. ^ "solubility". Peepresearch.org. Retrieved 2010-10-25. 
  16. ^ "Peep Wars: Revenge of the Mole". Students.millikin.edu. 2005-10-23. Retrieved 2010-10-25. 

External links[edit]

Look up peeps in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Confectionery products of Just Born
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peeps&oldid=552507984"