"I'd like to cover an entire room," he says. "Like my bedroom, from wall to floor, covering every piece of furniture. Or maybe even a kitchen. Just to see a million yellow Bunnies."

Washington, D.C, artist David Ottogalli also deals with Peeps en masse. His Web site displays several Warholian pieces featuring rows upon rows of Peeps and Bunnies. The effect is surreal and slightly unsettling.

"I'm just fascinated with all kinds of colored food," he says. "And it's funny -- when I do pictures where I do rows of either the Bunnies or the Peeps, if you actually look at them, you'll realize each one is different. They're mass-produced, but the eyes might be crooked on this one or different on the next. It's almost as if they each have their own personalities." He pauses and laughs. "Maybe I'm reading too much into it."

Ottogalli occasionally spray paints the Peeps and Bunnies for added effect. "The paint doesn't melt the marshmallow or anything," he says. "It just makes them glow."

He's not the first to note Peeps' curious resiliency against the elements. One very visible subculture of Peep fandom is fascinated by their ability to withstand factors that would turn lesser candy into mere blobs. While amateur Peepologists simply throw Peeps into microwaves, one team of actual scientists -- Gary Falcon and James Zimring from Atlanta's Emory University -- has conducted extensive clinical studies in regard to Peep hardiness. With hilariously dry scientific detachment, their site documents the effects of everything from smoking to liquid nitrogen on the brave little Marshmallous microfoulus.

As Peepology is a young science, research is ongoing. The team tells me that it'll soon have new results online: "We have some results from our investigation of aging and space travel on Peep health to publish, as well as a new theory to test about behavioral responses of Peeps to enclosed spaces and bright lights."

Of course, you could always just test the effects of Peeps on your stomach. One group of gastric adventurers in Sacramento, Calif., holds an annual Peep-off, in which contestants consume as many Peeps as possible in 30 minutes, washing them down with bourbon and Schlitz. The 1999 winner, Dennis Gross, ingested 81.

"And then he went home and ate a pizza," marvels organizer Dave Smith, who got the idea from a Peep-off held years ago on the East Coast. Smith says he's not a fan of Peeps' taste but nonetheless finds them "deeply amusing."

"Probably 15 or 20 people participated last year," he says. "And about twice that many people were hanging out and barbecuing, going, 'You people are sick.'"

Understandably, the company's reaction to all this Peep-related tomfoolery is mixed. "There are things people do that we certainly wouldn't encourage," says Kerr, "but we really can't police it."

"It's all done tongue-in-cheek," adds Barratt, "as long as you read it in that fashion."

And to be sure, the company's relationship with the public encourages a few leaps of logic. A 1999 survey asked U.S. fans which celebrity most embodied the spirit of a Peep; the winner was Rosie O'Donnell. And in preparation for Peeps' inaugural season in the U.K. this year, a second poll revealed that the Brit celebrity most like a Peep was Benny Hill. (One can only imagine the uses Hill could have come up with for Peeps on his show.)

Peeps were also introduced in Canada a few years back, but Barratt grew up there when the country was Peep-free. "When I came to this company, Peeps were just a brand name to me," he says. "I now understand this phenomenon. It's truly amazing."

Too soon, my time with Kerr and Barratt is up; I thank them and bid the factory goodbye. A few hours later, Bethlehem has disappeared from my rearview mirror. My box of blue Bunnies is almost empty, colored sugar sliding around in the corners. Half of me wants to bounce off the car ceiling; the other half just feels queasy. But I can't help myself; the last Bunny disappears.

And somewhere in Philadelphia, Tracy Bannett's neon sculpture is glowing softly from a window, letting all passersby know that Peep season is well underway.

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