Peeps Fans Sweet on Easter

Devoted fans hatch odd films, microwave jousting, and diorama contests
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 23, 2008 7:30 AM CDT
Peeps Fans Sweet on Easter
Just Born, Inc. and Chronicle Books Introduce New PEEPS(R) Recipe and Craft Book. (PRNewsFoto/Just Born, Inc.)   (AP Photo)

Brightly colored, sticky-sweet marshmallow Peeps have spawned a cult following unparalleled in the candy world. Aficionados of the line of Easter treats—ranging from sun-yellow chicks to bunnies and tulips—have created bizarre videos, Internet fan sites, diorama contests, and a microwave jousting game, the Palm Beach Post reports.

In the jousting match, two Peeps armed with toothpicks face off in the microwave; the last one standing wins. There are also Peeps-eating contests, Peeps haikus, and Peeps travelogues. All this devotion fuels annual sales of 1.5 billion Peeps, whose recipe remains a closely guarded secret. Pennsylvania manufacturer Just Born covers the Peeps-making machinery with a black cloth when visitors call. (More Easter stories.)

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