Marshmallow Peeps founder dies at 98
Posted April 11, 2023
By Emilia Gutu
News Editor
Bob Born, the creator of the popular marshmallow candy Peeps, died at the age of 98, in his home in Conshohocken, PA on Jan. 29.
Born’s death was confirmed by his son, Ross Born, who took his place at Just Born Quality Confections.
Peeps have become very popular over the years. Peeps are made out of marshmallows covered in sugar. They come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. They are being used during many different holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and most popularly used during Easter. Peeps have also been used in different ways. Some put them on pizza, infuse them in vodka, and use them as s’mores. Not only have they been used as food, they have also been used as decoration and centerpieces during parties and celebrations. Even experiments have been done with Peeps to test them out for the fun of it. Putting them in microwaves to watch them explode, or put them in vacuum tanks to watch them shrink.
The process of making Peeps in the beginning was very long. It took 27 hours. Born, affectionately known as "The Father of Peeps," made them slowly at first and then after figuring out machines and ways to make the process faster, he began to produce and reduce the process down to six minutes. The recipe was always simple. They used sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin. Born started this whole process around 1953, and by the 1980s, Peeps became very popular with millions produced every single day. Today, more than 5.5 million Peeps are made. That's almost two billion a year. The candy became so popular that in 2019 in the city of Bethlehem, PA, the company’s headquarters, Feb. 15 was established as “Bob Born Day”. That’s how popular the candy became.
Born’s father, Sam Born, was a Russian immigrant who first trained in France in a confectionery. After immigrating to the United States, he founded Just Born a few years later. Sam Born was a very intelligent innovator. He invented various ways of making candy like lollipops and chocolate. His mother, on the other hand, Ann Born, was the lady of the house. She stayed home and took care of the Born home.
Born’s company also makes Mike and Ike fruit chews. The way Hot Tamales were made was just by adding cinnamon to the mix of Mike and Ike. After he retired from the business, Born encouraged his son and his nephew to continue the family business and grow and improve Peeps. Not only are they just colored baby chicks, they’ve become bunnies and other animals.
Even with Born’s passing, the company is keeping on their legacy and continuing what Born created. Born was even a judge at some events where fans of the candy had dioramas of Peeps. Born didn’t know Peeps would become such a huge success and become so popular, but he celebrated it nevertheless.