by Sandra Murphy

It’s Easter time again and that means colored eggs, chocolate bunnies that lose their ears too soon, and baskets full of the all-time favorite–Peeps! The bright pastel colored marshmallow chicks and bunnies are a holiday must.

Peeps chicks come in pink, green, blue, orange and lavender, dark and light chocolate covered, and party cake or vanilla crème flavored. Bunnies are available too. Don’t miss the chocolate mousse flavor. There are about 32 calories (none from fat) in one Peeps.

Peeps are not just for stuffing into your face, although that can’t be beat. Check out this colorful Easter Peeps cake. It’s easy to make and sure to be a big hit at Sunday dinner. There are also recipes for Peeps cookies and Rice Krispie bars.

Fun facts:
• The number of Peeps eaten each year could span the earth more than once.
• Peeps have been the best-selling non-chocolate candy for the last decade.
• If you line up Peeps, beak to tail, from New York City to Los Angeles, it would take 70 million to do the job, plus replacements for those eaten along the way!

Now that you’ve seen some of the answers, take the Peeps Quiz and see how you do.

The best part–this year there are Peeps! for Dogs!! PetSmart is launching a new and exclusive line with Peeps that includes rope toys, plush toys in three sizes, bottle crunchers and more. They will be in stores March 3 through the end of April only. Peeps! for Dogs! are affordable too, ranging in price from $2.99 to $9.99.

Peeps plush dog toys

Ozzie got a sneak peek or should that be Peep? at the new line. He heartily endorses them and says Peeps! for all dogs this year. Remember, it’s PetSmart’s exclusive and for a limited time only. Make it a colorful Easter!

Easter warning: While dogs could have a small (very small) bite of a marshmallow Peeps, (not the chocolate covered ones), dogs don’t really chew, so swallowing could present a choking hazard so it’s best to stick with the Peeps! toys. Also avoid Easter grass in the baskets. Grass picks up the sweet smell of candy and is tempting to dogs and cats–and can easily cause a costly and life threatening obstruction.

Sandra's dog Ozzie enjoying his new Peeps! toys

You can find more animal rescue, therapy animal, and other pet related articles in our pet section.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster.