VOA标准英语2010年-'Peeps' Show is Rite of Spring for Man

Iconic marshmallow candy inspires artists, has large following among adults

Susan Logue Koster | Washington, DC 26 March 2010

Marshmallow Peeps artist David Ottogalli puts finishing touches on "Bunny Chaos¹."

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Signs of spring are everywhere here in Washington. Trees are budding, flowers are blooming and store shelves are stocked with Peeps.

The marshmallow candies — shaped like baby chicks and bunnies — have been an Easter holiday favorite among children for more than half a century. Now adults are now among the candy's biggest fans.

Peeps inspire artists

"It all started when I was a kid," says David Ottogalli. "I had Peeps in my Easter basket every Easter and it was one of my favorite candies."  Now 45, Ottogalli calls himself a "marshmallow Peeps artist."

He has been making art out of Peeps for about a decade. "I was really fascinated by their shape and their color and their texture². It's such a unique candy. Part of that is you could only get it once a year at Easter time and that is what made it special."

According to the company that makes them, the number of Peeps sold in the weeks before Easter could more than circle the equator.

For more than 50 years, Peeps have been made by Just Born, a family-owned company in Pennsylvania. And these days, the sugar-coated marshmallow treats are available year round in other shapes and colors: green trees, white snowmen and chocolate reindeer³ for Christmas, pink hearts and chocolate teddy bears for Valentine's Day, and orange pumpkins⁴ and white ghosts for Halloween.

Ottogalli incorporates those different candies into holiday-themed art work. For Easter, he is creating a piece called "Bunny Chaos," gluing pink, blue, yellow and green marshmallow bunnies on a large canvas that has been painted black.  He "meshes⁵" the candies together at different angles, so they fit almost like a jigsaw⁶ puzzle.

Other budding artists have been inspired to work with Peeps. Every spring, for the past four years, creative Washingtonians have submitted dioramas featuring the marshmallow chicks or bunnies to the Washington Post's Peeps Show contest. Last year's contest drew more than 1,100 submissions⁷.

Ottogalli entered the contest once, but didn't make the final cut. His "Peeps Shrine," made from more than 5,000 marshmallow chicks, was featured in a 2003 exhibition in California called "Sweet Tooth."

Two weeks before Easter Sunday, customers wait for Peeps and Company to open so they can do their holiday shopping.

New Peeps store

Ottogalli has sold more than 10 smaller works since he was invited to display them at Peeps and Company, the first retail⁸ store devoted⁹ to Peeps and other candies made by Just Born.

"Although the other brands have a huge following and awareness¹⁰, and they are iconic in their own right, Peeps is the American hero," says Karen Simonet, general manager of the store, which opened its doors on December 10 at National Harbor, 16 kilometers south of Washington.

The store carries much more than just candy. There are glass-blown paper weights shaped like Peeps, giant plush toy Peeps, notepads, pens, key chains, tote bags, sportswear, coffee mugs, even fine china decorated with Peeps' iconic yellow chick.

One customer with a bag full of candy and a couple of bright yellow Peep-shaped mouse pads said her mom got her started on Peeps when she was a girl. "I guess it's just the marshmallow and the sugar. They just taste so good. I love them."

Another woman, although not a big fan of sugar said she had to buy some. "They are just adorable and it means Easter."

According to Just Born, there are many more customers like the two women. They say the number of Peeps sold in the weeks before Easter alone could more than circle the equator.
 

1 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

2 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

3 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

4 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

5 meshes   

网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境

参考例句：

• The net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。
• This net has half-inch meshes. 这个网有半英寸见方的网孔。

6 jigsaw   

n.缕花锯，竖锯，拼图游戏；vt.用竖锯锯，使互相交错搭接

参考例句：

• A jigsaw puzzle can keep me absorbed for hours.一副拼图就能让我沉醉几个小时。
• Tom likes to work on jigsaw puzzles,too.汤姆也喜欢玩拼图游戏。

7 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。