Whether you love to eat them or you hate them, Peeps, those sugary confections, are still the top selling Easter candy after 60 years in the business. On March 8 NBC News shares that Ross Born, a third generation candy maker for the Just Born company that makes Peeps says that he is astounded by all the stories and memories that people share with him about the marshmallow candies.
When the candy first came about, his grandfather worked in a candy shop in Brooklyn. Sam Born, a Russian immigrant trying to make a name for himself, had to come up with a way to advertise that his marshmallow confections were fresh, hence the name that stuck, Just Born. When the company first started 90 years ago, a room full of women squeezed the marshmallow chicks out by hand from a pastry bag. In the 1950s when Bob Born, son of Sam and father of Ross, took over the company, he automated the process to save these poor ladies' hands from being tortured further.
From there, the company took off, making other confections such as Hot Tamales, Mike n' Ikes, and Good n' Plenty. As of yet, the company hasn't suffered an unprofitable year with 2012 being their most successful ever. Here are some Peeps memories from consumers.
Taylor Rios says, "Peeps were always in our Easter baskets and it was the one treat that we most looked forward to eating. Now I carry on the tradition with my own kids."
An anonymous consumer says, "One of the pleasures of my youth was buying a pack of Peeps and biting the heads off each one before devouring the rest of the pack."
Erik Miller says, "I like looking at what people come up with for their Peeps dioramas. As for me, I like to give them as gifts, and when I get some for myself, I like to squish them flat, flat, flat and then nibble around the edges like they were taco bread."
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