Boxed in sets of five and staring out with sugar-blackened eyes, Marshmallow Peeps have been emerging like clockwork from a factory in Bethlehem Pennsylvania since the 1950s. They were born in the mind of a Russian immigrant, hatched in Easter baskets and eaten by the dozens across the country. Then they armed themselves with lances, stood in front of trucks, mutated in microwave ovens and set out on their own. This is the story of what happened when a marshmallow met modern America. It's the story of how a sweet candy product got to the shelves of your convenience store--and what happened after it left them behind.