All About Marshmallow Peeps

As with many kinds of candy, most people either love or hate Peeps.

No matter if you are for or against the yearly emergence of Peeps, one thing that most wonder is, how'd they get started? In 1953 a Russian immigrant named Sam Born, founder of Just Born Candy Company, aqquired the Rodda Candy Company. Rodda had been making hand crafted marshmallow chicks that Mr. Born loved.

He took the idea and over the  next year made machinery to mass produce the chicks, which he renamed Peeps. In the years since, different elements have been added to make Peeps for every occasion, such as pumpkin Peeps for halloween in 1958 and snowman Peeps for winter in 1960. In 1999 the first flavored Peeps was introduced as vanilla flavored Peep eggs. the most recent innovation was chocolate covered Peeps in 2010. 

Peeps have a very simple recipe, but the specifics are a guarded company secret. the general ingredients are marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin and carnauba wax. The Peeps are covered in a colored sugar coating.

Since the begining of Peeps, the rumors have been flying about whether Peeps are indestructable, especially the eyes. Studies have even been done to find out the answer to these rumors and the answers were surprising! In 1999 Emory University scientists found that the only thing that has an effect on the Peeps is sulfuric acid. Water, Acetone, Sodium Hydroxide, and Liquid Nitrogen had little to no effect on the treat. Even more surprising, as far as the scientists could tell, the eyes of the Peeps couldnt be "destroyed" by anything! Fans of the TV show "Malcolm In The Middle" may remember the episode where Francis accepted a dare to eat 100 Peeps, arguing they would dissolve and not expand in his stomach. Whether they dissolved or not is unknown, but we do know he ended up with a nasty tummy ache! 

A man named Dave Smith ate a record 102 Peeps in one sitting.

Maryland has a "Peep Off" every year after Easter, the goal of the contest is to eat as many Peeps as you can in 30 minutes. There has been no report of increased sales for medicine to combat tummy ache following the competion. :)

The website Hello Vino has a list of wines that pair well with Peeps. The best match? A sparkling wine.

For around 15 bucks, you can buy the official Peep Maker. It takes some time to get the hang of it, the first few will look like a sugar coated lump of marshmallow. But its still a Peep!

How about some Peep Sushi? Before you say ew, check out the ingredients. Peeps of any shape or color, fruit by the foot and some rice krispie treats, arranged in an artful manner.

For the adults, there are a few drinks that incororate Peeps, the Peepmopotin, Peep Love and Peep Shots.

Some people prefer Peeps stale.

Now you know more about one of Easters most well known sugary treats, the Marshmallow Peep from Just Born.