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Does the World Really Need Peeps Pepsi?

I love Bethlehem-based Peeps. But some lines just shouldn't be crossed.


a promotional image of peeps pepsi

A promotional image of Peeps Pepsi (photo via Pepsi)

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Does the World Really Need Peeps Pepsi?

You know Peeps. Those weird marshmallowy things you don’t normally think about until Easter baskets must be filled. Peeps manufacturer Just Born Quality Confections is based in Bethlehem, where they produce about 5.5 million Peeps per day. (Yes, you read that right.) That’s all well and good. Peeps are great once or twice a year. But then the company had to go and collaborate with Pepsi.

They actually did this a couple of years ago. Peeps Pepsi was an extremely limited-edition product, with only 3,000 bottles available. So given that your average person would never have a chance to taste Peeps Pepsi and that it was just a promotional gimmick, I didn’t pay it much attention. But now, Peeps Pepsi is available to the masses.

“The collaboration is truly unparalleled — a delicious and refreshing treat, celebrated by two loyal fanbases, that brings unapologetic enjoyment to Pepsi and Peeps lovers all over the country,” a Pepsi executive recently said in a statement. “Since only a few fans were able to get their hands on the coveted cans last time, we’re thrilled to give everyone across the country the chance to indulge in Pepsi Peeps this time around.”

(No idea why the exec called it Pepsi Peeps when it should clearly be called Peeps Pepsi.)

Earlier this week, a bottle of Peeps Pepsi crossed my path. Now, I enjoy an occasional Peeps (Peep?) around Easter, though most of them wind up placed strategically in our fire pit, where we watch them endure slow, melty deaths. (Yeah, we’re weirdos.) But a sweets guy I am not. And I am most definitely not a Pepsi guy, Coke being my clear winner in that taste test. Give me a rum and Pepsi after I order a rum and Coke, and my palette will immediately reject it. And I’ll send it back.

So I’m probably not the best guy to tell you how good or bad Peeps Pepsi is. I did try to drink it but only got a few sips in before I realized this sickly sweet beverage is not fit for human consumption, or at least not this human. And after a few sips, I remembered that time I took one for the team and tried the cheesesteak-inspired burger at Burger King, which ended badly for me, so I decided to stop drinking the Peeps Pepsi before I did any permanent damage.

But what do other people have to say about Peeps Pepsi?

Well, this Massachusetts-based writer, in a Peeps Pepsi review headlined “I Drank Peeps-Flavored Soda So You Don’t Have To,” kind of dissed Peeps as a candy but said he would drink Peeps Pepsi again but noted “my body no longer responds well to the prospect of drinking a yellow submarine of murky sugar brine.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalist Polly Higgins, who somehow drew the Peeps Pepsi straw even though she’s the health and wellness editor at the paper, had this to say: “Sip, don’t slam, because there actually is some flavor development here. (The smell is evocative of Cherry Pepsi, but that’s just a red herring.) First the Pepsi hits your tongue, then the *extremely sweet* toasted marshmallow. Sip. Wait a beat and, ‘Oh!’ It can be a bit of a shocker, that saccharine hit. Some might say it’s cloying. I will not. It is, in a word, surprising.”

Surprising is one way to put it.

Meanwhile, our friends over at Philly’s own Crossing Broad declared that Peeps Pepsi tastes like “liquid cotton candy.” They added: “It’s not gonna kill you, unless you drink all of it, then you might develop Type 2 Diabetes. Smart packaging here would include a complimentary insulin shot, taped to the side of the bottle like it’s your kid’s Juicy Juice carton.”

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And from the Highly Confusing Sports Desk …

In Florida, the Phils led the Twins 4-2 going into the ninth, but Minnesota scored twice, and the final was … 4-4. A tie. I know! When did that become a thing? Only in spring training. Our guys face the Red Sox today at 12:05.

The Sixers had a rematch against the Heat, this time in Miami, and this time without Joel Embiid, who was a scratch with that old left-foot soreness. So it was small ball for the night, with Tyrese Maxey in the starting five. The Sixers lagged for most of the first quarter, then pulled to within one with 35 seconds left before the Heat hit a couple of foul shots and a runner: 38-34 Heat. Foul shots by James Harden early in the second briefly gave the Sixers a lead, and a 12-0 run brought them up 51-43 halfway through the quarter. Paul Reed, of all people, got hot and scored six in a row. Suddenly, we were up by 16 points. And at the half: 71-53! Weird:

In the third, the Heat found their footing and sliced the lead to 15. Wait, make that 11. Hold on; 20 again! Maxey was workin’ it:

It was 102-77 to start the final quarter. Maxey had 27 points by the end of the game; Reed had 16. Final: 119-96. This is a highly confusing team.

https://twitter.com/CHUR_i3/status/1631125453741215744

Tonight, they visit the Mavericks, with a 7:30 tip-off.

In college hoops, on their home court, St. Joe’s made brief work of Richmond, 83-67. Tonight, Temple hosts UCF at 7 p.m.

The Flyers also played.

All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.