Peep This.

Back in April 2003 the Millikin University Library conducted a formal study of Peeps in the library. This was apparently inspired by the Peep Research website, which has been around since 1998 when the internet was still kind of a novelty and not something we’ve come to depend on. The Library Peeps were a big hit with librarians everywhere, which should put to rest the idea that librarians don’t have a sense of humor, although some may question what librarians consider fun. One year an annual library conference was held in Las Vegas and it turned out to be a disaster for the librarians’ association because no one showed up for any of the seminars and a disaster for Las Vegas because none of the librarians gambled but spent all their time grouping slot machines by theme, but that’s another story.

I don’t know about other libraries but at the one where I work this inspired an annual spring Peepapalooza event, from a time when Lollapalooza was still kind of a novelty and not something we’ve come to use as an occasional punchline. Some of my coworkers would set out fruit, cookies, various other treats, and, of course, Peeps. Several years running we even had a chocolate fountain. And every year I was reminded of something. I hate marshmallows, and Peeps are just marshmallows covered in sugar which somehow just makes them worse. That may be an unpopular opinion but let me clarify that I don’t want Peeps or marshmallows taken off the market. I was even sad to hear that Peep production has been shut down this year because of COVID-19. If you like ‘em that’s great—you can have mine, because I hate to see food go to waste when it could go to waist.

This is an extremely roundabout way of getting to a Little Library in Seattle that’s been turned into a Peep Show. Most, if not all, libraries are closed right now, and I’m okay with that. Well, not really okay, but there’s a lot that libraries offer online, and it’s probably best to not be touching strange books right now, which puts even little libraries on the outs. So I’m okay with a Little Library that’s fun to look at but beyond that doesn’t tempt me at all.

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10 Comments

  1. BarbaraM

    Listening to that song was exhausting! Where do you find these?! And how did they get Robert Preston to sing this in the first place? It must have been before “The Music Man”!

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      Funny enough “Chicken Fat” was recorded after “The Music Man”, but written by composer Meredith Wilson wrote it and Preston recorded it at the same time he was recording the cast album of “The Music Man”. Preston was a really cool guy. Hey, the last feature film he appeared in was The Last Starfighter. His passing, I think, is what prevented that film from ever having a sequel.

      Reply
  2. mydangblog

    Maybe we need to do that with our Little Library since no one is taking books right now. Little tiny armadillos having a tea party…

    Reply
    1. Arionis

      The armadillo is my spirit animal!
      Arionis recently posted…High On LifeMy Profile

      Reply
      1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

        They are pretty darn cute little critters but I’m glad the glyptodont, the armadillo the size of a VW Bug, is now extinct.

        Reply
    2. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      Tiny armadillos having a tea party would be a brilliant tableau for a Little Library. It would be–dare I say it?–even better than Peeps.

      Reply
  3. Ann Koplow

    Thanks for all the peeps you make here, Chris. Your peeps, including me, greatly appreciate it. Sorry if I’m being too schmaltzy.
    Ann Koplow recently posted…Day 2687: Today is …My Profile

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      It’s my peeps like you who make this all worth it, and schmaltziness is not always a bad thing.

      Reply
  4. Jay

    I might be in love with this.

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      I love Little Libraries anyway and this really was a brilliant repurposing of one.

      Reply

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