Peeps Just Turned 60!

I can't believe Peeps, the sugar-coated marshmallow Easter treats of my youth, just turned 60 years old. You'd think that a sugar blast like this would have gone by the wayside, but it's more popular than ever. In fact, David Shaffer, co-CEO of Just Born, Inc., said that last year's business was "off the charts" with 2012 being the company's best financial year yet.

This Easter season alone, the company will hatch more than 1 billion Peeps - 1 BILLION!!! And now they've added chocolate to the candy line. Look for chocolate-covered Peeps and a yellow Peep nested in a half shell of chocolate on store shelves now. Mmm..!

It's not just about eating Peeps. Much of the iconic treat's popularity  has been due to art contests, parades, recipes, and more.  One year I made an Easter bonnet with grass around the rim and nested the brim with purple Peeps. If it had been a contest, I think I might have won.

Long gone are the days when Peeps were hand made by strong women who squeezed the marshmallow mix out of pastry bags. That must have been some job! The treats were so fresh back then that Sam Born, founder of the company, posted a sign outside his candy shop that said "Just Born." And that's how the company got it's name!

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