10 Fun Facts About Marshmallow Peeps
Easter is almost here, and that means Peeps, those little marshmallow chicks and bunnies, will be adorning Easter baskets everywhere. Here are some fun facts about these popular Easter treats.
Easter is nearly here, and that means Peeps®, the little marshmallow chicks (and bunnies) coated in brightly colored sugar, are heading for Easter baskets all over the country, as they have been for more than sixty years. Here are ten fun facts about America’s most enduring non-chocolate Easter candy.
Quick Reference
- Made by: Just Born Candy Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, since 1953.
- Original production time: 27 hours by hand. Modern production: about 6 minutes.
- Annual production: enough Peeps to circle the Earth twice if lined up.
- Spring consumption: over 1.5 billion Peeps eaten each Easter season.
- Calories per chick: 28 calories, fat-free.
- The wings: early Peeps had wings; they were clipped in a 1955 redesign for faster production.
10 Fun Facts About Marshmallow Peeps
1. The old way took 27 hours. Peeps used to be made entirely by hand. The marshmallow had to cool slowly, which set the timetable. With modern equipment, the same chick now takes about six minutes from start to package.
2. Early Peeps had wings. The original chicks were sculpted with detailed wings. The Just Born Candy Company redesigned them in the mid-1950s, partly for production speed and partly for a cleaner silhouette. The wings disappeared. The shape we know today is the wingless version.
3. Yellow came first. The first Peeps were yellow, and yellow is still the most popular color. The roll-out order after yellow: orange, pink, lavender, green, and blue.
4. They would circle the Earth twice. The Just Born Candy Company of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, produces enough Peeps in a year that, if you lined them up end to end, the line would wrap around the planet twice.
5. The shapes keep multiplying. The factory now produces chicks, bunnies, Valentine’s Day hearts, Halloween pumpkins, snowmen, and dozens of seasonal one-offs. Chicks are still the most popular by a wide margin.
6. The Depositor is 50+ years old. The machine that forms Peeps, called the Depositor, has not been redesigned in more than half a century. Neither has the recipe. Peeps are still made from a mixture of liquid and granulated sugars, corn syrup, gelatin, and vanilla.
7. They beat every other non-chocolate Easter candy. Peeps have held the top spot in non-chocolate Easter candy for more than 20 years running. Over 1.5 billion Peeps are eaten each spring.
8. Each chick is 28 calories, fat-free. The full nutrition panel: sugar, sugar, sugar, gelatin, food dye. Surprisingly low-calorie for the joy delivered.
9. Bethlehem drops a Peep on New Year’s Eve. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Peeps were born, the tradition runs so deep that the city does not drop a ball on December 31. It drops a giant Peep.
10. People eat them every which way. Surveys show roughly two-thirds of Peeps fans bite the head off first. After that, the methods diverge. Some let them get stale for a denser chew; some microwave them and watch them puff; some freeze them solid. Some put them on pizza. That last one is real and we do not have a comment.
Bonus fact: Just Born Candy Company also invented jimmies, the small candy sprinkles. They are named after the employee who first made them.
Not Everyone Is a Fan of Peeps
There is a Peeps counterculture. Critics say the chicks are too sweet, too sugary, and have a texture that lands somewhere between marshmallow and Styrofoam. Facebook groups exist for the haters. The #PeepsMassacre hashtag on Instagram tags photos of Peeps meeting various unkind ends (microwave, blowtorch, hammer). It is a hotly debated topic. Tell us in the comments below: love them or loathe them?
Where to Find Them This Season
Every major U.S. grocery chain stocks Peeps starting in late February through Easter. Specialty flavors (cookies and cream, fruit punch, blue raspberry, peeps-flavored coffee creamer) rotate yearly and sell out fast. For collectors, the original chick design in the original five colors is the safest bet. Pair them with chocolate eggs and jellybeans for a complete Easter basket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes Peeps?
Just Born Candy Company of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has produced Peeps since 1953.
Why don’t Peeps have wings anymore?
The original Peeps were sculpted with detailed wings. Just Born redesigned them in the mid-1950s for faster production and a cleaner silhouette, and the wings have not returned.
How many calories are in a Peep?
Each marshmallow chick has 28 calories and is fat-free. The ingredient list is liquid and granulated sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and vanilla.
How many Peeps are eaten each Easter?
Over 1.5 billion Peeps are eaten each spring, making them America’s top-selling non-chocolate Easter candy.
What do you do in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on New Year’s Eve?
Bethlehem drops a giant Peep at midnight instead of a ball, in honor of the Just Born Candy Company headquartered in the city.
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
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- Amber Kanuckel
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I purchased 8 boxes of peeps at Local Drug store, they were reduced to .75 cent a pack. My favorite…
Gotta try this! Toast a Peep or 2 eggs over a campfire. I’m not a big fan of them “raw” but toasted. OMG are they good! The sugar coating makes a delicate crispy shell. Let it cool a bit before eating… it’s like molten lava at first.
Ooey Gooey goodness with a delicate candy shell. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
If you don’t like Peeps, why are you even on this page???!
PEEP LOVERS will always love peeps – the end
My Mom is 93 yrs old & she loves Peeps. We always make sure she gets her fill every year.
Great way to show mom you love her !♥?
I bite the eyes off first,TOO. I love my yellow Peeps Stale! Once around Easter, I saw a Peepmobile:a van with a large yellow peep chick on top. I was on my way to get my sons from school. I tried to follow it, but with Friday traffic and too many red lights, I could Not catch. (I had it in my mind they were passing out “Chick Whistles” and I Wanted One!) My sons did not believe my story until it showed up in the newspaper the next day!
Chick whistles? That sounds amazing! I like my peeps stale as well. Even better – cooked for a little bit in the microwave!
I have always loved Peeps but I keep thinking that I can taste little bits that are crunchy but not sweet and tonight I finally figured it out, it’s the eyes! The wax tastes like plastic so from now on it will be eyes removed before biting the head off! The colors make me smile when ever I find them and I love the half price sales after Easter. Go Peeps!
#PeepLover I make cupcakes and put Peeps on top of them. I first frost the cupcakes with homemade buttercream frosting that looks like grass, then put the peeps on top with some “eggs” in front of them. They are so stinking cute!!
I love them and even tho im a diabetic I still sneak to have my peeps when there available love all the colors
Ah yes, I always knew there was silliness in some candies.
I love the crunch from the sugar coating that the peeps have on the outside of them the sweeter the better?