As if 2020 wasn’t depressing enough, now there’s word of a Peeps shortage. Just Born — the confectionery company behind the iconic marshmallow treats covered in colored sugar — confirmed via a statement there won’t be any form of Peeps for Halloween or Christmas in 2020, or for Valentine’s Day 2021. It also extends to their Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales seasonal candies.
Why are holiday Peeps going extinct? Like with meat packing plants earlier this year, it’s thanks to the coronavirus.
The company sent the following note to foodie website Delish:
While PEEPS® Marshmallow Candies, MIKE AND IKE® and HOT TAMALES® would typically be available in fun shapes and packaging sizes for the Halloween and holiday seasons, unfortunately, the seasonal varieties will not be in stores again until 2021. As you may know, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily suspended production of our candy brands to ensure the health and safety of our associates. In early May, we resumed limited production after making extensive changes in our plant that ensure the safety of our associates. This situation resulted in us having to make the difficult decision to forego production of our seasonal candies for Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day in order to focus on meeting the expected overwhelming demand for PEEPS® for next Easter season, as well as our everyday candies.
Easter Resurrection
So, while there won’t be any marshmallows shaped like ghosts, Jack-o-lanterns, Christmas trees or hearts, you can rest assured that the traditional Peeps sold for Easter (where the brand started) will be on shelves.
That little fact is good for business. According to CNN, Easter-themed Peeps are so popular that before the pandemic, approximately 5.5 million of these colored-sugar-coated marshmallow baby birds and bunnies were produced every day; that’s roughly 2 billion a year.