Do you bite your Peep's head off first?

For the last 60 springs, the Easter Bunny and his human assistants (moms and dads) have made sure that the baskets he delivers to the world's children are stocked with Peeps.

The colorful marshmallow candy, which this month celebrates that milestone 60th anniversary, continues to be a favorite with the public. Candy-maker Just Born says it has been the top non-chocolate Easter brand for more than 20 years. The company expects to make more than 1 billion Peeps this year, up from more than 800 million made during recent Easters. The closely held company makes enough Peeps every year to circle the earth twice, according to its website.

Just Born is celebrating the anniversary of Peeps in style by launching its first TV commercial in a decade. But Peeps aren't just for Easter any longer and are proving to be popular for Valentine's Day and Christmas, too.

The treats were first developed by Rodda Candy Co. of Lancaster, Pa., which Just Born acquired in 1953. At first, the process for making the treats was labor-intensive, involving the squeezing of marshmallows by hand through a pastry tube. Eventually, Just Born mechanized production, enabling it to make a Peep in six minutes instead of 27 hours.

Like any other maker of consumer products, Just Born keeps abreast of the latest consumer trends through market research. And unscientific polls conducted through the company's Facebook page have yielded some interesting results.

For instance, 64.78% of the 1,300 respondents said they bit off their Peep's head first. An additional 16.32% ate the treats in tiny bites, while 13.16% ate the tails first. More than 66% preferred the chicks compared with 33.28% picking the bunnies.

As for color, yellow was the overwhelming favorite, earning 44.12% support, followed by pink with 23.07% and lavender at 17.81%.

Ellen Degeneres was the overwhelming choice of respondents who were asked to pick what celebrity was most like Peeps because he or she was "colorful, sweet or bears a resemblance for any reason." She earned 32.91% of the vote, while singer Kate Perry was second with 24.82%, followed by Johnny Depp with 18.36%.

Follow Jonathan Berr on Twitter @jdberr.

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