"Peeps" Store Is Opened

American culture has always been a bit strange and on the edge, but I'm afraid it has now slipped over into downright weird. In Maryland, a store has just been opened that sells nothing but peeps and merchandise related to Peeps. The store has opened in National Harbor, a mall on the Potomac River. While most of the mall is boarded up and it's remaining stores aren't doing much business due to the recession, the Peeps store has a ton of customers.

Peeps are the sugar-coated marshmallow candies in the shape of bunnies and chicks. They are very popular during the Easter season, and were invented to put in Easter baskets. Although you can buy the candies in the new Peeps store, most of their merchandise is of the inedible variety (and yes, I know many consider the Peeps themselves to be inedible), such as t-shirts, books, dolls and other merchandise related to Peeps.

From their modest beginnings as an Easter-basket candy, Peeps have grown into a cultural phenomenon. Web sites abound celebrating the pastel-colored bunnies and chicks, and more than 100,000 people belong to a Peeps fan club (or would that be "peeple"). One of the latest college crazes is to put a Peep into the microwave and watch it explode, and arguments rage over the proper way to eat a Peep (bite off the head first?).

Last year around Easter, at least 30 major newspapers held Peeps diorama contests. Here in Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram held one of the contests. They had a lot of entries and many were both very creative and very funny.

I doubt if this portends the death of American culture. After all, we've survived pet rocks, beanie babies, pokomon and other such absurdities, but you have to admit this is weird.