Easter wouldn’t be the same without Peeps—here’s how they’re made

LOS ANGELES - Peeps may be polarizing, but when spring arrives, they’re everywhere. With their bright colors, squishy texture, and endless flavor varieties, the sugary marshmallow chicks and bunnies are a seasonal staple—and they’ve been made in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for decades.

The company behind them, Just Born Quality Confections, is a family-owned candy maker that also produces Hot Tamales, Mike and Ikes, and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews. But Peeps remain its star attraction—especially around Easter.

From yellow chicks to 14 Easter flavors

Big picture view:

Just Born produces an average of 5.5 million Peeps each day, which adds up to more than 2 billion annually. That’s roughly six Peeps for every person in the United States.

The treats first debuted in yellow, but this year they’re available in nine colors and 14 seasonal flavors, including cookies and cream, sour watermelon, and fruit punch. Flavors and colors change throughout the year for other holidays, too.

FILE - Pink and yellow Marshmallow Peeps are seen April 18, 2003 in Warminster, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Caitlin Servian, Peeps’ brand manager, told the AP that their popularity goes far beyond just eating. "Even if you’re not usually one to gravitate to eating the Peeps," she said, "there’s always so many other fun ways to include them in your celebrations."

How they’re made

Dig deeper:

Before the 1950s, Peeps were made by hand and took 27 hours to produce. That changed when Bob Born, who became known as the "Father of Peeps," helped engineer a machine that automated the process, cutting production time down to under six minutes—a method still used today.

Here’s what goes into it:

• The main ingredients — sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin — are cooked and mixed to form marshmallow
• The marshmallow is shaped and blasted with a "sugar shower" using 400 pounds of colored sugar per batch
• The candies cool on a conveyor belt before being packaged
• Each Peep chick weighs about one-third of an ounce