I went to a Peep Show. It’s not a high priority on my to-do list. It’s actually not on any of my to-do or bucket lists. I wouldn’t be caught dead at a Peep Show actually, but this one was irresistible.  It was really a Peeps Show.

These photos are a sample of a larger exhibit; about 30 dioramas of Peeps.  The Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery in Lake Worth FL hosted this tribute to Peeps last month.  Turns out that there are Peeps fans all over that contribute their art of Peeps to more than 40 exhibits in the U.S. during the Easter season.

Peeps are not my favorite food and I have actually denied my children the experience of eating and playing with them until just this year.  My own childhood memories of Easter included a platter my mom would decorate for the dining room table centerpiece with jelly beans, chocolate eggs and Peeps.  The Peeps were hard and nasty; unedible.  I do remember playing with them like characters but just couldn’t eat them.  To me, Peeps are a non-food, kind of like Twinkies…they are a cultural icon.

So the thought of thousands of people using them as an annual art medium never crossed my mind.  I can’t say I’ve ever Googled “Peeps”. I hadn’t heard of this art thing until I read an article in the March 24th issue of the Palm Beach Post and found out about the exhibit.  Unfortunately, the article was printed a week after the exhibit but a few dioramas remained when we paid our visit to the gallery.  And, aren’t they just cute?

So cute that when we returned from vacation after Easter, I snatched up a few boxes of pink and yellow Peeps, left over and on sale, for the boys and I to play with.  I also let them each have a taste.  Travis liked the chocolate covered one, the others were just “ok”. Austin thought they were bland.  So I guess I didn’t harm my children by not allowing Peeps in the house all of these years.

Anyway, the article gives insight into the Peeps world.  The son of the Peeps inventor has recently retired to FL, from PA, and so he was a feature in the newspaper.  Originally made by hand, Peeps are now made by a machine that this guy, Bob Born, invented for his dad to use.   The article also gave away the secret to Peeps longevity.  Describing how Peeps are fondly subjected to scientific tests for their indestructibility with boiling water, cigarettes, liquid nitrogen and acetone (which is another reason they don’t belong in my belly) , Mr. Born stated that “gelatin is what gives Peeps their longevity.”

Now on to our own Peep art.  We’ll be working on these this week.  I have about 80 Peeps to work with so hopefully we’ll come up with something great.  Here’s one that I threw together.