Growing up in Australia, Peeps was never part of my Easter celebrations (Michael Schur, creator of popular NBC show The Good Place, even had to create a canonical insider loophole to justify how Chidi – a character going through an existential crisis in Season 3 – got his hands on Peeps, a key ingredient in his mental breakdown spice while living in Sydney). I first encountered these sugary monstrosities during my freshman year of college while studying in America, when some boys in my dorm invited me to participate in Peep Jousting, an activity that was much more exciting in theory than it was. ‘in practice.
All this to say that despite all the divisions around their flavor, the Peeps have just as many strong supporters, so if you like those sparkling neon crimes against nature (and some of you must, because otherwise this horrible crossover wouldn’t exist), then I have good news for you: Easter is coming, and even if you can’t stand the taste of Peeps, it turns out that they make a great arts and crafts medium – and there’s at least one great reason to stock up on them:
Assortment of weird flavors
The Peeps Diorama Contests
A Peeps diorama is one of the few truly all-ages activities: not only is it a great family pastime to enjoy with your kids, but it’s also a great excuse to drink with your other childless friends who want to go out, but not clubbing. Do it for the gram, Peep it.
If you needed more incentive to commit to this sweet, sickly art project (as if the fun of recreating the ear scene from “Reservoir Dogs” with marshmallow bunnies wasn’t motivating enough ), maybe a healthy comp-Peep-tition will do: enter your masterpiece in a Peeps Diorama contest!
Although some news outlets such as the Washington Post and ABA Journal recently halted their long-running contests, there are still Gladiator Rings you can throw your Peeps into. For example, this year the Alameda Public Library is hosting a peeps diorama contest and even giving away a free kit full of supplies.
The Napa County Library is also holding a contest, though all scenes must be literary performances (if I bought my Tarantino DVD from a used bookstore, that totally counts, right?).
If you don’t live in the Bay Area, no worries! If a quick Google search of your area and the words “Peeps contest” doesn’t yield any results, check out the Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama contest! It is now open and applications can be submitted as a photo via email. But hurry and get to the collage – the deadline to email photos of your diorama is Friday, April 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Or, you know, you can host your own Peeps Diorama contest: pit your friends and family against each other for your approval and admiration. Every other family holiday is filled with drama, why should Easter be any different?
Everything you need to get Peepin’ is below. (Sorry if “get peepin'” is too much corn syrup pun – I’m not really a peep-le person).
Varied assortment
Glue gun
Diorama box
pipe cleaners
edible herb