My long standing Peep obsession started in childhood when, after days upon days of torment watching my brother's uneaten Peep sit, untouched, atop his Easter basket I finally lost control and dragged a kitchen chair to climb up on the counter and reach the basket where it sat, poorly hidden, on top of the refrigerator. With my precious forbidden treasure in hand I couldn't even wait until I climbed down to eat it - I bit into it right there, or tried to, anyway. After days of sitting out in the air it had, of course dried to rock hard. I nearly lost a tooth. After only a short moment to review my options I did what anyone would have done. I carefully put it back in his basket (tooth mark and all) and backed slowly away.
Then there was the time in college when, while on my study abroad trip overseas, I couldn't get Marshmallow Peeps. My boyfriend at the time was kind enough to send me one. One. One single Peep smashed flat in a business envelope. It was hilarious. I kept it far too long (but did not consider eating it... surprising in retrospect).
Teryn and I used to wait until after Easter and buy trays of our favorite Easter candy for half-price. I bought trays of Peeps which I stored in the freezer and never ate (because they looked so cute all in their rows :). She bought trays of Cadbury Eggs which she had to eat in secret so her health-nut husband would not find out.
Don't forget about Peep jousting which, if you've never experimented with exploding things in the microwave, is when you take two Peeps, supply them with cocktail swords or toothpicks, and stick them in the microwave. As they swell, whichever one jousts the other first, wins. I haven't made a Peep jousting video yet...yet. But
here is a a pretty good one.
I wholly admit that Peeps are more about how they look than how they taste. If they were shaped like something heinous or boring they wouldn't have nearly the draw that they do. Maybe that's why the other Peep products aren't nearly as popular as the one with faces, like the Marshmallow Flags they sell on the 4th of July, there's no personality! There's nothing funny or cute about eating a flag. You're forced to realize that you are eating a spongy tasting sugar blob. No Fun. Its all about the faces. The row upon row of hapless, slightly deformed expressions, varying just enough to make us personify them with little personalities :)
On that note, I bring you "
Peepshi". Sushi made from Peeps. It reminds me of an art project I did in college with my friend Laura Kina. We made "sushi" from traditionally American ingredients like peanutbutter and jelly. It wasn't mean't to be delicious, just ironic.
Click here for the website with instructions on how to make your own
Peepshi from Peeps and other candy.
