It's a Special Easter Edition of What Were They Thinking! According to the National Retail Federation, more than 75 percent of U.S. consumers celebrate Easter in some way. Those who celebrate the holiday spend an average of $96.51 on gifts, decoration, food, clothing ... and candy.
What says Easter better than Peeps — everybody's favorite marshmallow treat? But would you really want to eat a Peeps in the shape of Rosie O'Donnell? Or Will Ferrell?
Just Born, the Bethlehem, Penn.-based confectionery company that makes the long-lasting marshmallow concoction, conducted a survey asking sweet-toothed fans "If Peeps came to life, what celebrity might it become?"
The top males: Will Ferrell, Johnny Depp, Jamie Foxx and Justin Timberlake.
The top females: Jessica Simpson, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell.
According to Kathy Bassininski, the company's brand director, "We produce Peeps in a variety of shapes and colors to celebrate all seasons. Regardless of their shape or color, Peeps always maintain their sense of humor!”
A sense of humor is one thing. But eating a marshmallow replica of Will Ferrell or Rosie O'Donnell? For some, that might result in a loss of appetite.
By the way, for those of you keeping track, in the all-important chick vs. bunny poll, the chick won with 59 percent of the vote.
Not-so-bad ideas
- Easter is Hallmark's fifth busiest card-sending holiday and the company estimates 80 million Easter cards will be exchanged this year.
Hallmark offers 800 cards for Easter — some religious, some funny and some even have sound chips that play music. But the privately held company based in Kansas City, Mo., had to remove from shelves a card that was considered "biblically incorrect," according to spokeswoman Deirdre Parkes.The "talking" card in question featured Charlton Heston on the front and dialogue from "The Ten Commandments." It seems Hallmark would be better off sticking with bunnies and baby chicks.
- Egg-dying is an Easter tradition that dates back to the 1800s. Paas, the famed egg-dye company based in St. Louis, Mo., has been around since 1880.
But I'm not sure how long doggie-dying has been around. A California pet groomer for the holiday. A pink pit bull? The groomer claims the dye is not harmful to the animals. Not harmful, but maybe embarrassing.