Just Born, Inc., the makers of Easter Peeps and such candy favorites as Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales, has teamed up with Mattel's Hot Wheels for a limited edition collection of six super sweet rides. The miniature vintage cars and trucks feature the candy company's products and logos.
There are an incredible amount of beautifully created and designed Easter Eggs out there. Nowadays people use everything from temporary tattoo papers, glitter, metallic paints and rub down letters to create eggciting ones. Several even use fabrics, etching, cut-out paper and appliques.
However, here are a few beauties that still use the good ol' dye you can make on your own.
If you've got the patience, you can make the fabulous Pantone dyed Easter Eggs shown at the beginning of this post that Jessica Jones of How About Orange created for 2012.
An homage to CMYK printing, Martha Stewart shows you how to make the beautiful three dot eggs shown above here.
Below are more stunning egg designs with links to tutorials from Martha Stewart:
above: learn how to make the scrambled lines and letter eggs here
above: learn how to make these lovely botanical silhouette dyed eggs here
above: learn how to make the square patterned eggs here
above: learn how to make the leaf and stenciled eggs here
above: learn how to make the stenciled eggs here
More Peepular than ever.
Those colorful sugar-coated marshmallow Easter treats shaped like bunnies and chicks continue to expand their cult-like popularity. More colors, chocolate dipped, bite-sized and sugar-free versions are now available. In response to the public Peep demand, Just Born has opened their first Peeps & Company store and have launched a new dedicated e-commerce Peeps site.
About the store
PEEPS & COMPANY® is located at the very center of National Harbor's dynamic main plaza. Directly in front of the PEEPS & COMPANY® store is Seward Johnson's famous statue, The Awakening, along with sweeping views of the beautiful Potomac River. The store's location is at a converging point for residents and thousands of visitors arriving by metro bus, car, and ferries, which dock at the piers in front of the store.
In a joint statement, David Shaffer and Ross Born, Co-CEOs of Just Born, commented, "This is a momentous occasion for Just Born, our family of associates, and fans of our candy. For years, we have seen tremendous growth and excitement for our brands, and received many requests for a store in just the right location. PEEPS & COMPANY® is proud to join the community near our nation's capital."
Inside the store: above: The Corcoran Ceramics faculty was picked by Chicago’s RTKL to create the signature tile wall for the Peeps® Company flagship retail store at the National Harbor
The stores and site are being promoted with a Peepmobile (actually called the Peepster Car for some odd reason).
Here's a little news story on the new store:
Annual Peeps contests in which people create scenes and dioramas using the Easter favorites keep on growing. Several major newspapers now sponsor Peeps contests. Instead of showing you images of multiple entries like I have in the past, there are just too many, so instead I will show you the winning entry from the Washington Posts's contest along with links to the other contests so you can view the entries and winners on your own.
The Washington Post's 2011 Peeps Contest Winner: ‘Chilean CoPeepapo mine rescue’
above: This year’s winning diorama is called "Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue." It was created by Mary Jo Ondrejka, Margaret Hartka, and Bryn Metzdorf. (Narration by Holly E. Thomas) (/Video by Evelio Contreras and Akira Hakuta)
Not only are the contests gaining more popularity but more and more non-edible Peeps products are being marketed. More peeps stickers, mugs, mouse pads, plushies, apparel and even golf accessories join brands like Lenox to create more branded items available from the Peeps online store.
Peeps golf balls, head covers and golf towel:
Lenox Peep tea light holders:
Peeps Silly Bands!
Mousepads:
Peeps Stainless Steel water bottles:
Peeps Jewelry:
Peeps apparel:
Visit Peeps and Company's new dedicated website which offers the above items and many more.
Easter kind of snuck up on me this year, so forgive my last minute entry, but I couldn't very well forget to share with you the winners, finalists and some of my favorite semifinalists of the always fun Annual Washington Post Peeps Show!
The 2010 Peeps Diorama Show Winner, the finalists and my fave semifinalists: The Winner:
above: EEP! For their winning diorama based on the Pixar flick "Up," Michael Chirlin and Veronica Ettle of Arlington constructed a miniature Victorian house from plywood and Popsicle sticks, and placed it atop salvaged mattress springs to give it an airborne quality.
Video of winning entry: The Finalists:"Creating a Masterpeeps."
Above: An art student and figure model, Silver Spring resident Phyllis Mayes was inspired by figure painting classes for her diorama, titled "Creating a Masterpeeps." The walls are decorated with study drawings, paintings and art exhibit posters, all created by Mayes.
"Goodnight Moon"
above: Based on the children's book "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown, this diorama by MaryLea Harris of Fairfax captures the quiet mood of the story. Harris used fishing line to suspend the red balloon, and, with the exception of the fireplace and rocking chair, created the diorama out of items she had on hand.
"Freedom is not free: A Peeps tribute to the veterans of the Korean War."
Above: Elizabeth Teuwen, Gregory Stackel and Genevieve Sapir of the District were inspired by the Korean War Veterans Memorial for their diorama, titled "Freedom is not free: A Peeps tribute to the veterans of the Korean War." A string of lights replicates the ground-level lighting at the memorial.
"The Mad Hatter's Peep Party"
above: "The Mad Hatter's Peep Party" incorporates bunny-shaped topiaries, handmade paper lanterns and an abundance of Sculpey. The scene was created by Amy Billingham of Kensington and Rob Black and Lauren Emeritz of the District.
With over 1,100 entries, there were many semifinalists, here are a few of my favorites. To see all 37 semifinalists, go here.A few of my favorite semifinalists:
"Where the Wild Peeps Are"
above: Margaret Cooney and Adam Matuszeski of the District were inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic book for their "Where the Wild Peeps Are" creation. The husband-and-wife pair notes: "Each of the Wild Peeps has a teddy bear or bunny Peep body with either a bunny, teddy bear, or a chick Peep for a head. The eyes are thumbtacks while arms, legs and snouts are made from Peep parts or finger puppets."
"Super Peepio Brothers"
above: Mark Rivetti of Silver Spring took about 45 hours to create this "Super Peepio Brothers" diorama, and he crafted all of the characters, including Mario, Luigi, Lakitu, Bowser, Koopa Troopas, Goombas and Piranha Plants from either chick or bunny Peeps. Note the Peep shapes in mountains, platforms and clouds.
"Synchronized Peeping Practice"
above:"Synchronized Peeping Practice" by Rebecca Glassman of Sterling offers a peek into synchronized swimming practice, as coordinated swimmers dive into a gelatin pool while a Peep with a snorkel and scuba fins waits on the diving board.
"Little Bo Peep"
above:"All of Washington buzzed when President Obama ran down the South Lawn of the White House, showing off the family's new dog, Bo," writes Lauren Lien of Arlington. In her "Little Bo Peep" diorama, Lien captures the moment as the president, red tie flapping in the breeze, jogs with Bo.
"The Mad Peeps of Sterling Coopeep"
above: Seattle resident Jeana Harrington's diorama, "The Mad Peeps of Sterling Coopeep," re-creates the third-season episode of the TV show "Mad Men": "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency." In the scene, tipsy secretary Lois Sadler has just run over a visitor's foot with a John Deere lawnmower. The cast includes Bertram "Bert" Coopeep, Donald Drapeep and Peepy Olson, and the office features a miniature Rothko and a Hokusai.
"Georgia O'Peep"
above: Gwen Jones of Hampton was inspired by the paintings of artist Georgia O'Keeffe for her "Georgia O'Peep" diorama. Jones shows the artist at her easel in the New Mexico desert and incorporates elements of her paintings in the scene, including a cow's skull and a twisted cedar tree.
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents 'The Peeps'"
above: Jill Goebel of Alexandria spotlights an unsuspecting Bunny Hedren in her diorama titled "Alfred Hitchcock Presents 'The Peeps'" Goebel writes: "She sits on the bench, tense although she doesn't quite know why. Maybe a cigarette will calm her nerves. Were those wings? Or just the wind?"
"PeepTube: Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance Dance."
above: Arlington's Katie Behr-Szustakowski made a diorama of the YouTube video that depicted a wedding party making a highly choreographed entrance to Chris Brown's "Forever." The artist re-created a screen shot of the video, and titled her creation "PeepTube: Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance Dance."above captions written by Holly E. Thomas for the Washington Postabove 2010 Peeps diorama photos by Bill O'Leary for the Washington PostPrevious Peep Show Winners, Peep Posts and Bunny Bonanza:•Peeps As Pop Culture: The Peep Show II Winners & More•PEEPS Peer Pressure! You Want Peeps Art? Here's Some Of The Best
•Non Perishable Peeps- Everything But Edible!•Bunny Bonanza: Rabbits in Art, Literature, Advertising, & Just Big Bunnies
It's Easter time. Time for the young and old to celebrate with plastic baskets filled with sugary goodness.
This also means you'll see many bloggers covering the annual PEEPS® Diorama Contest (in which there are 302 approved entries for the Pioneer Press and over 1,000 entries into the Washington Post) and various Peep Shows. I, myself did the same with last year's Peeps Post (which you can see here). Not too mention the various PEEPle's choice awards from different papers and publications, online and off.
But since so many will be covering those (and if you wish to get an early peek at those 302 submissions to Pioneer Press, go here and to see the Washington Post finalists go here), I'm taking a different point-of-peeps, if you will.
This year, I want to share with you the Non-perishable Peep Products for purchase. Say that ten times fast.
Keep in mind that some of these may no longer be available by the time you read this for two possible reasons. Either they are sold out or Just Born, Inc. has sent them a cease and desist order for violating copyrights.
So what Peeps can you buy that will last forever? Not that the shelf life of Peeps is much less than that. But here are a few you can live with. And not an edible one in the bunch!
Peeps + Dunnys = Dunneeps!
Two, two, two trends in one!
These fabulous non edible dunneeps (Dunny Peeps) are really fabulous, including the package design. They come from Motorbot (aka artist Kevin Olson). I bought a set. Contact him of you want some!
Peeps Soap:
These Peep Chicks are made from a mold of the actual Marshmallow Peeps. Made with Goats Millk Soap, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Wild Honey, Olive Oil, Palm Oil and Coconut Oil for bunches of lather by Good Karma Soaps . Buy them here.
These pink bunny Peeps soaps are also available on etsy but are made by Love, Luca. Buy them here
Fun Peeps Tee-Shirts from Dylan's Candy Bar: buy them here.
Peeps flavored lip balms by Lotta Luv:
Grape Marshmallow Creme:
Strawberry Marshmallow cream: buy them here.
Porcelain Peeps by Lenox:
PEEPS® Bunny and Chick Salt & Pepper Set by Lenox
accented with 24 karat gold Painted by hand Height: 4" Length: 5" They also make other porcelain peep products, but this one most resembles the actual Peeps. buy them here
Peeps Lights!
this one automatically lights up when placed in water. Also available in blue, purple and yellow. So in lieu of a rubber ducky, you get a floating, glowing Peep!
Blowing Bubble Peeps:
...and little (and large) Plush Peeps in all colors:
Above: many of the licensed PEEPS® products over the years. These can be found at places like Walmart, Target, Wallgreens, CVS and more , if still available.
UPDATE: I was trying to avoid writing about art made with Peeps and all the Peeps shows, but it seems my readers can't get enough of that. So some have brought more links to my attention and I found a few more as well:
The Washington Post and the Pioneer Press will host their popular PEEPS® contests again while the University of Chicago Magazine has announced it first contest, becoming the first PEEPS® competition in the education sector. Winners will be announced in the Pioneer Press on April 12.
Latebreaking news: The Winner of the Washington Post contest was announced today. It's Melissa Harvey of Arlington Virginia with her "Night Peeps". You can see the 2009 winner and all the finalists here) . PEEPS® and the PEEPS® Chick Shape are registered trademarks of Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem, PA C 2009. All Rights Reserved
Above: An art student and figure model, Silver Spring resident Phyllis Mayes was inspired by figure painting classes for her diorama, titled "Creating a Masterpeeps." The walls are decorated with study drawings, paintings and art exhibit posters, all created by Mayes.
"Goodnight Moon"
above: Based on the children's book "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown, this diorama by MaryLea Harris of Fairfax captures the quiet mood of the story. Harris used fishing line to suspend the red balloon, and, with the exception of the fireplace and rocking chair, created the diorama out of items she had on hand.
"Freedom is not free: A Peeps tribute to the veterans of the Korean War."
Above: Elizabeth Teuwen, Gregory Stackel and Genevieve Sapir of the District were inspired by the Korean War Veterans Memorial for their diorama, titled "Freedom is not free: A Peeps tribute to the veterans of the Korean War." A string of lights replicates the ground-level lighting at the memorial.
"The Mad Hatter's Peep Party"
above: "The Mad Hatter's Peep Party" incorporates bunny-shaped topiaries, handmade paper lanterns and an abundance of Sculpey. The scene was created by Amy Billingham of Kensington and Rob Black and Lauren Emeritz of the District.
With over 1,100 entries, there were many semifinalists, here are a few of my favorites. To see all 37 semifinalists, go here.
A few of my favorite semifinalists:
"Where the Wild Peeps Are"
above: Margaret Cooney and Adam Matuszeski of the District were inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic book for their "Where the Wild Peeps Are" creation. The husband-and-wife pair notes: "Each of the Wild Peeps has a teddy bear or bunny Peep body with either a bunny, teddy bear, or a chick Peep for a head. The eyes are thumbtacks while arms, legs and snouts are made from Peep parts or finger puppets."
"Super Peepio Brothers"
above: Mark Rivetti of Silver Spring took about 45 hours to create this "Super Peepio Brothers" diorama, and he crafted all of the characters, including Mario, Luigi, Lakitu, Bowser, Koopa Troopas, Goombas and Piranha Plants from either chick or bunny Peeps. Note the Peep shapes in mountains, platforms and clouds.
"Synchronized Peeping Practice"
above:"Synchronized Peeping Practice" by Rebecca Glassman of Sterling offers a peek into synchronized swimming practice, as coordinated swimmers dive into a gelatin pool while a Peep with a snorkel and scuba fins waits on the diving board.
"Little Bo Peep"
above:"All of Washington buzzed when President Obama ran down the South Lawn of the White House, showing off the family's new dog, Bo," writes Lauren Lien of Arlington. In her "Little Bo Peep" diorama, Lien captures the moment as the president, red tie flapping in the breeze, jogs with Bo.
"The Mad Peeps of Sterling Coopeep"
above: Seattle resident Jeana Harrington's diorama, "The Mad Peeps of Sterling Coopeep," re-creates the third-season episode of the TV show "Mad Men": "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency." In the scene, tipsy secretary Lois Sadler has just run over a visitor's foot with a John Deere lawnmower. The cast includes Bertram "Bert" Coopeep, Donald Drapeep and Peepy Olson, and the office features a miniature Rothko and a Hokusai.
"Georgia O'Peep"
above: Gwen Jones of Hampton was inspired by the paintings of artist Georgia O'Keeffe for her "Georgia O'Peep" diorama. Jones shows the artist at her easel in the New Mexico desert and incorporates elements of her paintings in the scene, including a cow's skull and a twisted cedar tree.
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents 'The Peeps'"
above: Jill Goebel of Alexandria spotlights an unsuspecting Bunny Hedren in her diorama titled "Alfred Hitchcock Presents 'The Peeps'" Goebel writes: "She sits on the bench, tense although she doesn't quite know why. Maybe a cigarette will calm her nerves. Were those wings? Or just the wind?"
"PeepTube: Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance Dance."
above: Arlington's Katie Behr-Szustakowski made a diorama of the YouTube video that depicted a wedding party making a highly choreographed entrance to Chris Brown's "Forever." The artist re-created a screen shot of the video, and titled her creation "PeepTube: Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance Dance."
above captions written by Holly E. Thomas for the Washington Post
above 2010 Peeps diorama photos by Bill O'Leary for the Washington Post
Previous Peep Show Winners, Peep Posts and Bunny Bonanza:
•Peeps As Pop Culture: The Peep Show II Winners & More
•PEEPS Peer Pressure! You Want Peeps Art? Here's Some Of The Best
•Non Perishable Peeps- Everything But Edible!
•Bunny Bonanza: Rabbits in Art, Literature, Advertising, & Just Big Bunnies
