If you know me, you know I have a strong disdain for Peeps –the little, puffy marshmallow pile of hot garbage. So, when there was a Peeps cereal created, people began asking/tagging me about a review. Because I’m a man of high character, I had to do what was right –skip the review and find a proxy. Enter the Peeps cereal review tribute, Kayla.

Hi there! Joe’s coworker Kayla here, or for the purposes of this blog, you can just call me Special KayKay. What are my qualifications? I’m the mother of two elementary school boys. We go through roughly eight boxes of cereal a week. Also, I’m constantly starving at work, so I frequently stop by Joe’s desk to munch on the crumbs of Caticorn, Chicken and Waffles or whatever else he’s naïve enough to leave unattended.  I’m perfect for this current review because I’m a sucker for novelty foods (name a Coca-Cola flavor and I’ve tried it, probably with rum), and I have strong opinions about Easter-themed food. I am strongly PRO black jelly bean. (Joe here, I have to interject after that black jelly bean statement and say that’s gross. Maybe I made a mistake entrusting Kay Kay? Maybe she’ll redeem herself? Let’s keep reading to find out.)

When it comes to the sugary sweet season of marshmallowy awesomeness, you might as well call me Little Bo Peep. Now let’s get on with the Peep Show.

Aesthetics

If you have kids, good luck getting past the cereal aisle without them spying this brightly colored box. It’s as festive as an Easter bonnet with a consistent color palette of yellow, hot pink and blue both inside and outside the box. The cereal itself looks like smaller

Froot Loops dotted with round white marshmallows (by the way It was only recently that I realized that it wasn’t actually marshmEllows. Mind blown!)

I get the impression the circular marshmallows are supposed to represent eggs (it is that time of year), but I would imagine their manufacture is less complicated than an ovoid. That’s a real word.

The colorful Os are dotted with something white. One of the greatest things about a Peep is its appearance. The cereal version doesn’t quite live up.

Snackability

When you first open the box of Peeps, the artificially, sugary marshmallow aroma is almost overwhelming. It’s like a cheap knockoff of one of Strawberry Shortcake’s friends. 

The box boasts it is “Marshmallow Flavored Cereal” and it’s not a lie. It looks like it should taste fruity. Don’t be fooled. It tastes like crunchy marshmallow things paired with chewy marshmallow things (these are ACTUAL marshmallows) with a dusting of marshmallow. I was a little disappointed. The little marshmallows taste similar to Lucky Charms. I wouldn’t recommend you snack on them with dental work. But yet I enjoyed it more every time I grabbed a handful. I couldn’t stop shoving it into my Peephole.

Structural Integrity

This is a novelty cereal. You get the idea right away that WAY more thought when into the concept and marketing than the actual product inside the box. Despite that, Peeps holds up remarkably well in milk! The texture of the marshmallows (why isn’t it spelled marshmellows?!) is much better in milk. And much like an actual Peep left unwrapped for more than 20 minutes, the O-shapes maintain an impressive state of rigidity. I can’t speak to the quality of the cereal milk. That grosses me out. The only time I want food floating in my beverage is when it’s a lime in my margarita.

Cereal Concept

Peeps used to be around just for Easter. That’s one of the things that made them so much fun. Now there are holiday versions for Valentine’s Day, Halloween and even Christmas. How else could they cash in on the stretchy concoction’s Peep-ularity? Ah yes, cereal. It works. I couldn’t resist it and since it’s only available in a family-sized box, you better hope you like it if it’s an impulse buy. It’s adorable. There’s also a Candyland-like board game on the back, complete with some Easter punnies, such as “I’m a real Peep-le person.” I’m a mom who loves dad jokes, so I’m all in on the box.

Flavor

Peeps has more marshmallow flavor than the Stay Puft marshmallow man at a Girl Scouts campfire cookout.

Despite the lack of variety, it’s not overly sweet once you get past the initial fragrance. I went back to add more to my bowl on more than one occasion (cause no WAY I’m drinking the cereal milk) and my kids put down two bowls at every sitting. My oldest, Thomas, is definitely a fan. I guess you could call him a Peeping Tom.

Final Thoughts

It’s been a long winter and Peeps hatched at just the right time to fill our bowls with something bright and fun. It’s all about the novelty, but the contents of that candy-colored box could definitely be worse. No need to keep it around for more than the Easter season, but if you’re on the hunt for some Peep thrills, pop some in your basket.