Hot Tamale Peeps Are Here to Spice Up Your Easter Basket

Though Valentine’s Day is still weeks from now and spring seems to be a lifetime away, that hasn’t stopped the people behind those Peeps candies from getting up to their old hijinks again. As if Peeps coffee creamer and Peeps cereal weren’t alarming enough, it looks like those bird-shaped balls of super-sweet marshmallows are about to go in a new, spicy direction.

That’s not a joke: this Easter will see the launch of Hot Tamales-flavored Peeps, the candy crossover event that maybe tens of people asked for. That evidence comes from the Instagram account of @CandyHunting, who spotted this collaboration between two candy brands under the Peeps & Company umbrella.

From what it looks like, these Peeps sport the signature fiery red shade of Hot Tamales, evoking a “Fierce Cinnamon” flavor. So if you wished Fireball had none of the alcohol but a whole lot more sugar, you’re in luck.

For better or worse, @CandyHunting makes it sound like these hot birds will be sold exclusively at “Kroger and Kroger-owned stores. They should start appearing on shelves “any day now.” Wonderful.

Unsurprisingly, early fan reaction to the announcement seems mixed at best. “I love peeps and I’ll try any flavor,” one commenter says, “but not these.” While someone else says they “need them,” a skeptical commenter admits that “I thought this was just a fan-made joke.”

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As ridiculous as it seems, it could just be that spicy candy is having something of a moment. Jelly Belly just announced a “Fiery Five” set of spicy jelly beans, so maybe we’ll all be eating hot sweets that make us reach for water or milk by the time 2020 is over.

So if you end every Easter egg hunt upset that you’ve got nothing that tastes like a mildly spicy cinnamon in your basket, your troubles are over. Let’s just hope Peeps doesn’t turn these into a cereal too.