WITH A PEEP PEEP HERE, A PEEP PEEP THERE..

I have always liked Peeps.

But I think I have mostly liked them because they were cute, and mostly cute were the bunnies and chickies. I am ambivalent over the pumpkins and ghosts and Christmas trees -- they don't have the souls that the bunnies and chickies have. Nor the amazing colors.

I introduced my two youngest granddaughters, now 8-1/2 and 7, to them a number of years ago, and the earliest phone calls I can remember from them were tiny little voices at the other end of the line saying, "Grandma, do you have any Peeps?" My daughter and her husband weren't crazy about the kids having candy, and I tried to keep my supply for them at a reasonable level; but how can you not produce Peeps when those little voices and big eyes stare at your freezer and wonder if there are any Peeps in it?

Now being a fan of Peeps doesn't mean that I like to eat them. I am not a marshmallow lover unless they are stale. Therefore I only like stale Peeps. If you are in a group of people and ask them if they like their Peeps fresh or stale, you'll find opinions split about 50-50, with the stale Peeps lovers being the loudest responders. It takes about six months sitting on top the refrigerator for them to get really stale enough to be yummy. And if you think Peeps are only for children, think again. Adults not only eat them but also play with them.

I don't happen to do that, but my first introduction to playing with Peeps was from a website on the internet where a bunch of Peeps were going to the library. It was just too funny! I have a link on my blogsite that will take you there. But just recently I learned that a totally Peeps store has opened in Maryland. Not everything is marshmallow or even edible, but it is pulling in Peeps fans in droves, while nearby stores are hard-pressed to get anything but looky-loos this holiday season.

But not only is there now a Peeps store, but there have been Peep documentaries filmed, fan clubs organized, diorama contests sponsored and many heated discussions about proper Peep-eating manners like whether to eat them head first or tail first.

The rise in Peep interest isn't due to the poor economy. They have been around and popular since they were created in 1954. Jerry and I don't eat them ourselves anymore, though we would if we could. They are not good for Jerry's diabetes and they aren't good my my flagging taste buds. But we do try to keep a little store of them in the freezer (next best to being stale) just in case the granddaughters arrive with Peeps on the brain. I am sure the little girls haven't yet discovered the big surprise of watching them explode when heated in a Microwave. I've always had that operation in the back of my mind when baby-sitting them, thinking that if they ever get too bored or too fidgety or too cranky, I might entertain them with a few microwaved Peeps. But ya' gotta save that for a really important occasion.

If the knowledge of Peeps isn't in your databank at the present time, you need to do a Google-Image search and see what is going on. You'll be amazed!