Peeps by the Numbers: 5.5 Million Made Daily and Other Facts About America’s Easter Candy
Just Born, the company behind America’s favorite non-chocolate Easter candy, produces approximately 5.5 million Peeps per day and about 2 billion per year. That works out to roughly six marshmallow chicks for every person in the United States.
The numbers get more eye-opening from there. More than 1.5 billion marshmallow Peeps are consumed each spring, and Easter accounts for 70 percent of the brand’s annual sales, according to GourmetGiftBaskets.com. Peeps have held the title of most popular non-chocolate Easter candy for more than 20 years.
Just Born produces enough Peeps Brand Marshmallow Candies in one year to circle the earth twice.
How a 27-Hour Process Became 6 Minutes
In 1953, it took 27 hours to hand-craft a single Marshmallow Peep. The automated production process now takes six minutes. That shift in speed is what makes the billions-per-year output possible.
The brand celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023. Caitlin Servian, brand manager for Peeps, spoke about the milestone at the time.
“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,” Servian said. “From parents and grandparents passing down their Peeps traditions to little ones, to friends and families incorporating our adorable chicks and bunnies into seasonal recipes and crafts, it is truly heartwarming to witness the many ways our marshmallow candies bring loved ones together. We’re excited to see how our devoted fans express their ‘peepsonality’ in 2023!”
Colors and Flavors Keep Expanding
Yellow remains America’s bestselling Peeps color. The brand now offers more than a dozen flavors for the Easter season alone. Yellow and white Peeps Chicks and Bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange.
For 2026, the lineup includes 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.
Calorie Counts and Design Decisions
Each Peeps Chick has 28 calories and Bunnies have 27.5 calories. Both have 0 grams of fat.
In the late 1950s, Peeps’ wings were “clipped” to give them a sleek, modern look. That deliberate aesthetic choice about marshmallow bird wings has stuck for decades.
Peeps in Pop Culture
The marshmallow candies have appeared on Good Morning America, Today, CBS Sunday Morning, The Early Show, Martha Stewart, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, South Park, Jeopardy and The Daily Show.
Celebrity Peeps fans include Justin Bieber, Miranda Cosgrove, Joe Jonas and Dylan Lauren.
With South Florida grocery stores and pharmacies stocking shelves for Easter shoppers each spring, those 2 billion annual Peeps find their way into baskets, recipes and seasonal traditions across the region. At six per American, the math suggests Miami-Dade County alone accounts for millions of the marshmallow chicks and bunnies during the holiday rush.
Whether shoppers reach for the classic yellow or one of the newer flavors like Chili Lime Mango, the Peeps supply chain shows no signs of slowing from its 5.5-million-a-day pace.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
