Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: The Poop on Peeps
by Stacy Conradt - March 19, 2010 - 5:37 PM

q10

I love Peeps. I don’t want them right out of the box, though. I prefer to cut a small slit in the box, then let them sit around for a few days getting a little bit crunchy. That’s right: stale Peeps. One of life’s little pleasures. But you don’t have to have a serious sugar jones to appreciate the value of a Peep. Check out these 10 ways you can make use of the sugar-coated, marshmallow chicks.

peeps1. Peeps aren’t just for Easter… but you probably already knew that. There are apparently some people out there that don’t realize that Peeps come in more shapes than chicks and bunnies, because Just Born, the company that makes them, has recently adopted the slogan “Peeps: Always in Season.” And they are, pretty much. You can get them in Halloween shapes, Christmas shapes, Valentine’s Shapes and even Fourth of July shapes. I think they’re missing the boat on shamrock Peeps, myself.

2. The Peep-making process is almost totally automated now, but there was a day when each shape was formed by hand. From start to finish, it took 27 hours to make a Peep when they were first introduced to the public in 1953; these days you can have a fresh ‘mallow in your hot little hand in six minutes flat.

3. Peeps aren’t just for eating. They’re for crafts and experiments as well.

4. According to Just Born’s research, my love of stale Peeps isn’t very normal. Only 17 percent of people polled liked crunchy Peeps; the other 83 percent take theirs fresh out of the box. To which I say: Have you ever tried it? Give (stale) Peeps a chance.

peepmobile5. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile may be more well known, but I’d be positively delighted to see a giant Peep speeding down the highway. Also – free samples?

6. Peeps have been the best-selling non-chocolate Easter candy for more than a decade.

7. Peep chicks come in several different colors. They were originally just yellow and pink; white wasn’t too far behind. Lavender wasn’t added until 1995, and blue chicks made their debut in 1998 for Just Born’s 75th anniversary. Proving that sometimes the original is still the best, yellow is still the best-selling color.

8. There was a fire in the Peeps part of the Just Born factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1999 that destroyed huge batches of Peep chicks and bunnies. The damaged candy was sold as an animal feed ingredient, but don’t worry, Just Born managed to recover in time for their main holiday. I’m happy to report that there were no Peep shortages for the 2000 Easter season. Whew.

9. Think you have the stomach for 102 Peeps in 30 minutes? That’s where the record stands at the moment. “The Dennis Gross Sacramento Peep Off” is held annually to try to top this 2003 record. Participants chow down for 30 minutes, then have to sit for five and prove that they can keep all of that sugary goodness down. The most recent winner fell short with only 45 consumed. Celebs like to get in on the Peep contest action as well – check out Dane Cook and Jimmy Kimmel competing to see how many Peeps they could fit into their mouths on Jimmy’s show last year. I’m not saying it’s pretty.

10. Peeps make a pretty good fine art project, too. Miss C. has posted some of the best Peep art for the past couple of years, which you can find here and here.

Do you love Peeps or hate ‘em? Any special technique for eating them? I’m telling you… try them a little stale this year. You won’t regret it.

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (53)

  1. Yes!! I thought I was the only person in the world who loved stale peeps! Also, I always eat their eyes off first. Not sure why I started that, but now I claim it’s more humane.

    posted by NyghtBeauty on 3-19-2010 at 5:44 pm

  2. For the past 3 years, the Washington Post has held a Peeps diorama contest. It is hilarious and amazing.

    Last year’s finalists (warning, ad before a slideshow): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/04/10/GA2009041001969.html

    posted by Christina on 3-19-2010 at 5:53 pm

  3. You can also take Peeps on trips with you and photograph them for the National Geographic Traveler Peeps in Places Challenge:
    http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2010/03/peeps-in-places.html

    posted by Marilyn_Res on 3-19-2010 at 5:58 pm

  4. the Ghost Peeps for Halloween are INCREDIBLE toasted over a fire. they’re like little creme brulee on a stick. but burning them is a big no-no as it’s 1) nasty, and 2) reeeally stinky.

    posted by mri on 3-19-2010 at 6:02 pm

  5. I like to roast peeps in the microwave for a few seconds and then eat them because the sugar gets all crunchy and the marshmallow is all squishy.

    posted by Jill Harness on 3-19-2010 at 6:12 pm

  6. I only eat my Peeps stale!! My mom buys them early and leaves the packages open so they’re stale by Easter! I also eat the eyes first!!

    posted by trish on 3-19-2010 at 6:14 pm

  7. Stale is the only way to go! I can’t even stomach the little peeps when they’re fresh.

    posted by BobBruff on 3-19-2010 at 6:22 pm

  8. I don’t know who Just Born is polling — I don’t know anyone who likes fresh Peeps. Stale is the only way to go!!

    posted by Katalia on 3-19-2010 at 6:34 pm

  9. Yes!! I love my peeps stale too–same for Lucky Charms marshmallows.

    posted by H on 3-19-2010 at 6:44 pm

  10. Peeps are waaaay too sugary for me…I just get a kick out of microwaving the little buggers…they turn into little brown hockey-pucks & their eyes melt off!!

    posted by sammylee on 3-19-2010 at 7:01 pm

  11. i’m so glad so many people have posted that they, too, like their peeps stale. i wont eat them any other way. I think their survey was flawed.

    posted by Melinda on 3-19-2010 at 7:17 pm

  12. I LOVE peeps! I’m surprised no one’s mentioned my favorite way to eat them – frozen! They’re hard, but not crunchy :)

    posted by Kelley on 3-19-2010 at 7:24 pm

  13. My family only eats stale peeps too. I don’t eat them at all. Rita’s Italian Ice now offers a chocolate covered peeps gelati. Pass.

    posted by Hyacinth on 3-19-2010 at 8:02 pm

  14. Peeps helped me narrow the generation gap with my teen age son and daughter years ago. Of course I was an out of it dad who didn’t understand their music until I held a package of that Easter candy close to my chest and sang “Closer than my Peeps you are to me.” After the groaning stopped, they gave me credit for listening (sometimes) to their music.

    posted by Prism on 3-19-2010 at 8:44 pm

  15. I like peeps every now and then but they have way to much sugar and they make me thirsty so I try not to eat to many

    posted by Kari on 3-19-2010 at 8:49 pm

  16. My husband and his family will only eat their Peeps stale. His mom is in a nursing home and wasn’t eating, but the stale Peep went down just fine.

    posted by Gus on 3-19-2010 at 11:18 pm

  17. i too LOVE stale peeps. mmmmmm. yumminess.

    posted by jpj on 3-19-2010 at 11:20 pm

  18. Just the thought of Peeps makes me nauseous!

    posted by Leslie on 3-19-2010 at 11:50 pm

  19. Well, I like fresh Peeps myself. They are also quite good swimming in a little pond of hot cocoa too!

    posted by dooflotchie on 3-20-2010 at 12:11 am

  20. I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s ever tried stale Peeps who likes fresh Peeps better.

    I personally can’t stand them fresh. The only way they’re any good at all is stale.

    posted by Suzie on 3-20-2010 at 12:21 am

  21. I love peeps fresh and stale. And dipped in melted chocolate.

    posted by kishiki on 3-20-2010 at 1:06 am

  22. yum stale peeps. way better.

    posted by Samantha on 3-20-2010 at 1:38 am

  23. I definitely prefer them fresh, but I’ll eat them stale too. I eat the eyes first too for some reason.

    posted by Steve on 3-20-2010 at 1:56 am

  24. They’re disgusting in my opinion, but they are collectable…My (crazy, apparently) uncle has acquired decades old Peeps still sealed in the packaging from Ebay for his collection. He swears they’re still edible.

    posted by Brandy on 3-20-2010 at 3:30 am

  25. Stale Peeps, aged at least one week are the only way to go :)

    posted by Anon on 3-20-2010 at 4:16 am

  26. Nope, I find them disgusting. :-P

    posted by Logan on 3-20-2010 at 7:10 am

  27. One and done. Also, I had a girlfriend who ate them stale.

    posted by gus on 3-20-2010 at 7:59 am

  28. I don’t like Peeps, either! I’ve seen how they’re made on TV, though. I’ve also seen one be experimented with on CNN, I think it was CNN.

    posted by Sara in Al on 3-20-2010 at 9:38 am

  29. I had never heard of eating them any other way but fresh—and I hate them fresh!

    I’m thinking of getting some and trying them stale, roasted, nuked, frozen, and in hot chocolate, just to give them another chance.

    posted by KerriD on 3-20-2010 at 10:19 am

  30. Stale Peeps rule

    posted by Frog on 3-20-2010 at 11:27 am

  31. I lived in Pakistan for two years, and my sister would send me Peeps in the mail (with a slit in the Peeps box) and they would arrive in delicious stale condition. One year she took them out of the package entirely, and they melted somewhere on the way… not so edible, but the thought was there. :)

    posted by crovenpaver on 3-20-2010 at 11:36 am

  32. These peeps are making me thirsty.

    I’m cutting a slit in my the pkg of peeps that I bought yesterday. Gonna see if I agree with the majority.

    posted by Stacy on 3-20-2010 at 12:06 pm

  33. I have a friend who likes to blow them up with firecrackers or guns.

    They’re way too sweet for me. I can’t eat them.

    posted by Troll on 3-20-2010 at 12:34 pm

  34. I really wish you could get the cocoa ones for holidays other than Halloween.

    posted by Seanette on 3-20-2010 at 2:44 pm

  35. Wow, this is a part of the American experience that I have completely missed!

    I have never had a Peeps!

    Must do something about that immediately.

    posted by Magnus on 3-20-2010 at 5:17 pm

  36. I was lucky enough to visit the Just Born factory in Bethlehem, Pa when I was in third grade. We had a project to write to companies and we needed to get at least 3 responses to complete the project. Alot of kids picked companies like McDonalds, M&M Mars, Coca-Cola etc and got letters back with a coupon or sticker. I chose Just Born and they sent me a case of Mike and Ikes along with an invitation to come visit the factory, the president of the company called me to set up the arrangements. It was so fun and interesting! At the end they gave me a package that had a bunch of the candies they make. Sure beat a coupon for a free french fry!

    posted by N37 on 3-20-2010 at 6:03 pm

  37. Stale peeps are best but I’ll eat fresh also. The cocoa peeps are the best ever. They taste like the melted marshmallow that mixed with the chocolate left in the bottom of your cup after you drank your hot cocoa. Yummy!!

    posted by Catherine on 3-20-2010 at 8:05 pm

  38. I like Peeps anyway but they are at their very best when FROZEN!

    posted by Bom on 3-20-2010 at 9:19 pm

  39. My girlfriend has her birthday at the end of March and has told her mother to put Peeps on her birthday cake every year since she was 5. I swear I got Diabetes last year. We will see how I hold up next week.

    posted by illyjoel on 3-20-2010 at 9:22 pm

  40. peep smores are the best. impale those suckers on a stick and roast them over an open flame… oh yeah. the extra sugar totally makes it.

    and now i’m really hungry. thanks, Internet.

    posted by emily on 3-20-2010 at 9:46 pm

  41. Not only do I LOVE stale Pees, I prefer candy canes after they’ve been aged too. They get nice and chewy . . .

    posted by GoTerriers on 3-21-2010 at 8:53 am

  42. A giant peep counts down New Year’s Eve on First Night celebrations in Bethlehem, PA.

    posted by Wayne on 3-21-2010 at 11:25 am

  43. The eyes are the best part! I like saving them for last.

    posted by natalie on 3-21-2010 at 3:31 pm

  44. Stale is the only way to go! Other people over the years have said the same. Stale, aged, and oh so yummy…

    posted by staledale on 3-22-2010 at 12:19 am

  45. I’m from Bethlehem, PA and walked past the Just Born factory every day on my way to school. They also make Mike & Ikes, Jolly Joes, and Hot Tamales, and I could always tell what was in production by the smell in the air that particular day :)

    The Peepmobile is the cutest thing ever…the Just Born folks brought it to a charity event I was at last year and left it unattended. Too bad I don’t know how to hot wire, because I really wanted to take it for a spin!

    And finally, add another vote here for stale Peeps, though I’ll eat them fresh, too. The purple ones are my favorite, probably because “purple Peeps” is so much fun to say :) I also love the cocoa cats at Halloween and the cocoa bunnies at Easter. Yum!

    posted by RK on 3-22-2010 at 10:11 am

  46. I can’t do them fresh. They make me a little sick. I also give them a good rubdown once they’ve aged anough to get some of the sugar off. Then they’re quite an enjoyable little treat.

    posted by Caitlin on 3-22-2010 at 11:09 am

  47. @#4 My mom *LOVES* stale peeps.
    She’d buy them about a week or two before Easter, make a small tear in each package and leave them on top of the hutch in the dining room until Easter morning.
    I never really cares for peeps stale or not, but as far as I’m concerned, this is the ONLY way to eat them.

    And for other peeps flavors…I bought the gingerbread man peeps once, and they were the bob-omb!

    posted by MJ on 3-22-2010 at 12:11 pm

  48. Trying not to eat such things right now but I really like Jill’s microwaving idea.

    Also, for a summer internship a few years ago, some of my co-workers had an obsession with peeps. For one of our boss’ birthday, we decorated his office with peeps. There were happy peeps and evil peeps and dressed up peeps and peeps impaled on toothpicks. There were several hundred in there. I wish I had taken some pics…

    posted by c on 3-22-2010 at 12:57 pm

  49. I prefer my peeps fresh. I don’t like when they are hard. But I do have friends who will only eat them stale. On a side note, my dad LOVES peeps, fresh or stale and eats the whole “row” in one bite! He eats the entire package of peeps on four bites! And he can down 2-3 packs at one sitting. He always gets his packs for holidays because you’ll lose a finger trying to get one!!

    posted by Jaime on 3-22-2010 at 1:56 pm

  50. I live in a small town in NJ and our local paper has a “Dress Your Peeps” contest every spring. Some just dress them, and some make elaborate sets for them. Hilarious!! I look forward to it every year.

    posted by Beth on 3-22-2010 at 2:51 pm

  51. Ewww… Reading the record of peeps eaten in 30 minutes makes my stomach hurt. Say hello to Diabetes!

    posted by Thamios on 3-22-2010 at 7:49 pm

  52. i saw a segment on peeps on food network’s “unwrapped”. as i recall, the faces are stamped on by hand!

    posted by elle on 3-24-2010 at 2:09 pm

  53. omg I LOVE PEEPS. A couple years ago I was in a bad wreck which resulted in a lengthy hospital stay and everyone who came and saw me brought tons of peeps (it was just a few weeks before easter). But I had enough peeps that last well after easter and it was the best thing ever. Also I can never buy peeps for my sons easter basket till right before cause I’ll eat them lol Peeps make me happy :)

    posted by Eda on 5-8-2010 at 1:15 am

Comment

commenting policy