March 31, 2013, - 4:32 pm
Happy 60th, Peeps! Unkosher Easter Candy Invented (Sort of) by Russian Jewish Immigrant
For the record, because I keep kosher, I’ve never eaten a “Peep” (“Peeps” aren’t kosher because they have non-kosher gelatin in them), but if you are Christian and celebrate Easter, you’ve probably had the marshmallow confections that come in many colors, are in the form of chicks and bunnies, and are traditionally eaten on or around Easter. But this is the 60th anniversary of “Peeps,” and since I love Americana, I thought you might be interested in a little info on Peeps, which were either invented by a Russian Jewish immigrant or the Michigan-born son of English immigrants. (Remember, this was “yesterday’s” kind of immigrants, who wanted to become Americans, worked hard, and invented great things, not today’s immigrants who are constituents of Jihad and La Raza.)
Most candy trivia authorities believe Peeps were invented by Roscoe E. Rodda, the Michigan-born son of a copper mining immigrant from England. His Rodda Candy Company sold marshmallow chicks, but they looked different, and the company apparently did not call them, “Peeps.” But in 1953, Sam Born, a Russian Jewish immigrant, acquired Rodda Candy Company through his Just Born, Inc. company. That year, Born re-designed the confections and began marketing them as Peeps and as Easter basket stuffers. And, so, that’s why 1953 is considered the year Peeps were invented, and this year is considered the candy’s 60th anniversary. Born often gets credit as the inventor of Peeps, and he sorta is, but also sorta isn’t.
Check out this video on Peeps’ 60th anniversary and try to drown out the annoying stuff from the NBC reporter (like how to eat them and her “na-na-na-na” stuff–this is “reporting?”):
Tags: Easter, Easter candy, gelatin, Just Born, Just Born Inc., marshmallow candy, marshmallows, non-kosher candy, Peeps, Peeps 60th Anniversary, Peeps 60th Birthday, Rodda Candy Company, Roscoe E. Rodda, Roscoe Rodda, Russian Jewish immigrants, Russian Jews, Sam Born
They really ought to solve the unkosher problem. You don’t know what you’re missing.
samurai on March 31, 2013 at 7:41 pm