Just Born Makes Millions of Peeps a Day — Here’s What to Know About Easter’s Beloved Candy
Just Born produces roughly 2 billion Peeps per year, making the marshmallow chick America’s bestselling non-chocolate Easter candy for over two decades.
The numbers behind Peeps production are hard to wrap your head around. At 5.5 million per day, the company churns out enough of the marshmallow candies in a single year to circle the earth twice. That comes out to about six Peeps for every person in the United States. More than 1.5 billion of those marshmallow Peeps are consumed each spring, and Easter accounts for 70 percent of the brand’s annual sales, according to GourmetGiftBaskets.com.
The brand celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023. A lot has changed since the brand’s early years. When Peeps first launched in 1953, it took 27 hours to hand-craft a single marshmallow chick. The automated process now takes six minutes.
Peeps’ look has changed over the decades too. In the late 1950s, the chicks’ wings were “clipped” for a sleeker shape. Yellow and white came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange. Yellow is still the bestselling color.
“The Peeps brand is honored to have been included in family traditions and celebrations over the last seven decades and is thrilled to continue spreading springtime sweetness with the launch of our 2023 Easter marshmallow offerings,” Caitlin Servian, brand manager for Peeps, said at the time of the 70th anniversary. She added that the brand finds it “truly heartwarming to witness the many ways our marshmallow candies bring loved ones together.”
The flavor lineup has expanded well beyond the original. For 2026, Peeps is offering collaborations like Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry, SunnyD and Chili Lime Mango. Other options include Dr. Pepper, Rice Krispies Treat, Cotton Candy, Sour Watermelon, Party Cake and S’mores. Chocolate Dipped and Chocolate Covered Peeps Chicks were introduced for Easter 2010.
For anyone counting calories, each Peeps Chick has 28 calories and Bunnies have 27.5 calories. Both contain 0 grams of fat.
The brand has broken well beyond the candy aisle. Peeps branded products have appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, Martha Stewart, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, South Park, Jeopardy and The Daily Show. Many celebrities and influencers are also big fans.
Peeps have been taken to new heights. And here’s one for the visual learners: 8,000 Peeps Bunnies stood in a straight vertical line would reach the top of the Willis Tower in Chicago.
Whether fans prefer them fresh, slightly stale or dipped in chocolate, those 2 billion marshmallow chicks and bunnies aren’t going anywhere.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
