BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A crowd of more than 3,000 people came to watch a giant replica Peeps candy drop for a New Year's Eve celebration on Tuesday at SteelStacks.
The event was presented by Just Born Confections, the candy company that makes Peeps, Mike & Ike and other candies in Bethlehem, as well as ArtsQuest.
Its sponsors include Lehigh Valley Public Media, the parent company of LehighValleyNews.com.
The event went on as planned, despite rain in the forecast, which luckily held off for the duration of the program.
Peep drop
Programming for PeepsFest included ice skating, DJs, magic shows and children's music, culminating in a "Peep drop" at 5:35 p.m., followed by fireworks.
"Yeah, we feel it's good for kids. It's dark," said Shayna Super, programming director for ArtsQuest. "You still kind of get all the excitement of it, but parents can still go out and have a good time afterward."
The replica Peep weighs 400 pounds, according to Courtney Angle, corporate affairs specialist at Just Born.
"It's a little sweeter than a ball," Angle said, referring to the New York City ball drop on New Year's Eve.
"So it's kind of a twist on the ball drop in New York City, but instead of midnight, we wanted to do it earlier, to just really cater for the young families.
"And then, of course, what's cooler than dropping a Peep? I can't think of anything."
Just before 5:35 p.m., a countdown started, and Just Born staff along with children who won a diorama contest pulled a giant lever with a Peep for a handle, dropping the replica Peep from a lift. This was followed by a grand display of fireworks.
M-V-Peeps
Some self-described "superfans" traveled long distances to celebrate PeepsFest, out of sheer loyalty to the marshmallow baby chick candies.
Megan Casey and Charles Brodine are from Virginia and Maryland, respectively, and came to PeepsFest wearing Peeps socks, light-up necklaces and an intense love of the marshmallow candy that spans decades.
Casey said that Peeps probably took up more of her time than any other candy, especially at Easter.
"I go around to drug stores and Target, Walmart and see if they have any new Peeps merchandise and things," she said.
Casey said she's a runner, and said she sometimes eats two peeps before a run to get carbohydrates.
"Because they have sugar in them and you know, they're easy to digest. I'm sure that's not what Olympic marathoners do or anything, but for my runs they're a great source of fuel," Casey said with a laugh.
"Peeps have the best fans, the people who are loyal to our brand, are enthusiastically supporting us every step of the way."Courtney Angle
Both said they wished Peeps and Just Born would sell more merchandise, especially at events such as PeepsFest.
Someone asked where they got their light-up necklaces, to which they replied "Michael's," the craft store. The necklaces actually are not a licensed Peeps product, but they said they picked them out because they look like Peeps Easter bunnies.
Representatives from Just Born are aware of the superfan culture their brand has generated and choose to embrace it.
"Peeps have the best fans, the people who are loyal to our brand, are enthusiastically supporting us every step of the way," Just Born's Angle said.
"People who love Peeps, really, really love Peeps, and we're so thankful to them, and we're just excited to share this event with them."
She said diehard fans are sometimes called "M-V-Peeps."
Damian Escobar and Kelly Mikowski came from New York to attend PeepsFest.
When asked what percentage of her life Peeps occupy, Mikowski estimated about 60%. Mikowski said it's a bit of a nostalgia thing for her.
"Well, when I was little, actually, I was obsessed with them," she said.
"I had this Peeps coloring book, and I actually found it online a couple of years back, and like, redid the coloring book itself, but it was really cute. I like the look of them. I also like Care Bears and stuff, you know? So I think it's nostalgia."
Mikowski was wearing Peeps earrings and Peeps-branded eye shadow.
Escobar said he is not really a superfan but supports his girlfriend's Peeps habit.
"I'm accustomed to them at this point," he said with a laugh.
