Fact: People love Peeps. They love them as-is. They love them in Italian ice form. They love them stuffed in sushi. They love them literally any way they can get them. (Sure, there are some haters, but we'll ignore them for now.)
Another fact: People love Belle. They love her on a cruise. They love cupcakes that look like her. They love her to show up at their wedding.
Now imagine combining those two loves — loves that span countries and cuisines and common sense. Can you even? Brace yourself, because the end result might just be too much for your love-struck heart to handle: IT'S BELLE MADE OUT OF PEEPS. She exists, she is beautiful, and she is part of a contest — a PEEPshow, to be exact — held by Maryland's Carroll County Arts Council.
Baker Candace Birger used around 1,500 Peeps to create Belle, who stands 5 feet tall and is literally a perfect replica of the princess — down to those big, round Disney eyes.
It's the 10th anniversary of Carroll County's PEEPshow, which was inspired by The Washington Post's now-defunct Peeps diorama contest. Voting will stay open through Wednesday, April 19. It costs $1 a vote, and the proceeds support the arts in the area. If you haven't caught the princess fever that's swept the nation, you can cast yours to something else. Perhaps a Victoria's Peepscret fashion show is more your speed, or maybe a Peeperoni Peepza and Dr. Peeper? Game of Thrones fans, there's a Mother of (Peep) Dragons just for you.
All of the entries, about 150 total, are on display at the Carroll County Art Center. Some sculptures use just one marshmallow chick, while others are rounded out with, oh, 7,500 or so. Here's hoping Maryland residents already filled their kids' Easter baskets, because we're assuming the state's Peep stock is at an all-time low.
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