Peeps is starting off 2024 with quite the attention grabber. In January, the brand announced four new unique flavors that would hit the shelves in time for Easter. The new flavors include S’mores, Rice Krispies, Sour Strawberry, and ICEE Blue Raspberry. If you’re like me, you didn’t even know that marshmallows could come in this many flavors. I’ve always stuck with the classic yellow Peeps, going for the head on that first sadistically delicious bite. But these fluffy, sugary birds just keep coming in crazier kinds. To understand how Peeps got to this point, let’s go back and look at the history of these Easter basket classics.
A Peep Of History
The history of Peeps is a little unclear. It seems that Peeps were invented by the Rodda Candy Company, owned by Roscoe Rodda, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The company made chocolate, but it couldn't handle the competition with the nearby iconic candy company, Hershey’s. Because Peeps, or any type of marshmallow, does not appear in Rodda’s catalog, some speculate that they were made to order for loyal customers in the 1940s. What is known is that Rodda Candy made Peeps by hand, and it was a process that took 27 hours to produce one tray — making the marshmallow from scratch and using a piping bag to form each bird.
Roscoe Rodda passed away in 1953, and the Rodda Candy Company was bought by Just Born, another candy company down the road in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, famous for inventing the machine that put sticks into lollipops. Once acquired, Just Born made a machine called the “depositor” that could pump out six rows of the five connected Peeps we all know and love in just six minutes. Just Born produced Peeps with the intention of capitalizing during Easter, and I think it’s safe to say that it has been a success.
Ever since, Just Born has been trying to make Easter candy more and more interesting. I honestly didn’t know that Peeps went this hard on its flavors. In 2023, the four Peeps flavors for the year were Hot Tamales Cinnamon, Kettle Corn, Sparkly Wild Berry, and Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper is still available). Other crazy Peeps flavors of the past include Fruit Punch, Donut Shop Coffee Caramel Mocha, Tropical Burst, and Mike and Ike’s.
One thing has been made clear in the past few years: Peeps is going to work on its brand partnerships, with brands like Dr. Pepper, Hot Tamales, and Mike and Ikes. Rice Krispies makes sense to me — it’s marshmallow! — but ICEE was not on my 2024 bingo card. Nevertheless, here’s a little guide to the four new Peep’s flavors.
The Peeps Flavors Of 2024
Rice Krispies
The Rice Krispies flavor is most similar to the original Peeps. They are made with cereal and marshmallow, just like the crunchy Rice Krispies Treat, but obviously with less crunch. I know the partnership is with Rice Krispies, but this kind of reminds me of a Lucky Charms marshmallow.
S'mores
I’ve heard of people making s’mores using Peeps, so I’d love to see people making s’mores with s’mores Peeps. The marshmallow itself is graham cracker flavored and colored a golden brown. The extra catch is that the bottom or the base of the bird is dipped in milk chocolate, so you really get all three elements of a s’more.
Sour Strawberry
These neon red Peeps are certainly an eye catcher. A few years ago, Peeps released a Sour Watermelon flavor, something akin to Sour Patch Kids. Artificial sour flavoring really isn’t my thing, so I think I’m going to have to pass on these.
ICEE Blue Raspberry
These are the Peeps that I’m really inclined to buy this year. Anytime I see an ICEE or slushie machine, that artificial, unknown “blue” flavor is my go-to. Though I haven’t tried them yet, I will say that Peeps’ really nailed the bright aqua color. The ICEE Blue Raspberry Peeps are only available at Target.