The Inventor Of The Horrid And Disgusting Easter Candy Peeps Has Died

SOURCE - Ira “Bob” Born, a candy company executive known as the “Father of Peeps” for mechanizing the process to make marshmallow chicks, has died. He was 98.

In 1953, Just Born acquired Rodda Candy Co., a jelly bean maker that had a side business producing shaped marshmallow candies by hand. At the time, it took about 27 hours to make the marshmallows.

Bob Born saw the candies’ potential, so he and an engineer at the company designed and built a machine to make them in less than six minutes. The company's current machines, which are still based on Bob Born's design, now pump out 5.5 million Peeps per day.

Bob Born sounds like he was a decent man. He led a literacy program after he retired and he lived a long and successful life. However, I personally blame him for ruining many Easter baskets of my childhood. 

Peeps suck. I never had a time in my life where I liked these. I would avoid eating them and instead enjoy the jelly beans and Pez that were also in my baskets every year. When I finally got around to the shitty Peeps, they would be stale and crusty. Peeps are also deceiving in their cuteness. They are bright yellow with eyeballs. Imagine if they were brown? It'd look like shit.

I was very against Bob Born until I read that he also invented Hot Tamales, which are a fine candy. His company also produces Mike & Ikes which is an elite movie theatre concession. They aren't Sour Patch Kids or Gummy Bears but they are in in that next tier.

Maybe there is a lesson in the life of Bob Born. You can create an absolute atrocity on the world but redemption is always right around the corner. Tiger Woods redeemed himself by winning the 2019 Masters. For Bob Born, it's the Hot Tamale.