A Peep into the Making of Carroll’s Confection-Covered Lynx

Each spring, sweet confections, fun-fueled creativity, and a little bit of chaos collide at the PEEPshow in Westminster, a fundraising event featuring Peep®-inspired sculptures, dioramas, mosaics, and more.

This year, Carroll Community College’s entry is larger than life—literally. Lightning, the College’s beloved Lynx mascot, was recreated as a towering marshmallow marvel, covered head to toe in churro-flavored Peeps with black licorice detailing.

The Sugar Rush of Inspiration

Last year was Carroll’s first foray in contributing a creation for the PEEPshow. Katrina Dumont, Senior Research Analyst at Carroll and lead artist behind the College’s PEEPshow projects, lovingly refers to their first entry as a “Peep-by-number”—a flat design that served as a helpful trial run. Even then, their next goal was clear: build a Peep Lightning sculpture.

“Go big or go home,” Katrina said. “Everybody was on board, because how cool would it be to have a six-foot Lightning?” (The final sculpture turned out to be even bigger than that, closer to seven feet tall.)

With the concept in place and a year to plan, the Carroll PEEPshow team was able to start thinking structurally and strategically, tapping into their collaborative spirit and some serious engineering skills.

From Plastic Skeleton to Peep Skin

Using articulated PVC pipes as a skeleton, Gregg Bricca, Carroll’s Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Peep Lightning’s chief engineer, helped construct a frame that could support the weight of a paper mâché body, a Lynx Athletics uniform, and hundreds of marshmallow Peeps. This thoughtful engineering gave Lightning their lifelike stance, complete with them holding a Carroll Community College pennant.

Then came the “skin”. Katrina was adamant about using brown Peeps to match Lightning’s fur, but sourcing the perfect tan color wasn’t easy. After reaching out to Just Born, Inc., the Bethlehem, PA-based makers of Peeps®, she learned that chocolate-pudding Peeps would be released sometime in the future… but not soon enough. The game-changer came from a lucky discovery: churro-flavored Peeps, which were found only at Kroger grocery stores. However, they weren’t in stock at any locations in Maryland.

Luckily, Katrina’s Michigan-based sisters were on the case and descended upon their local Kroger stores. After a cross-state delivery rendezvous in Pittsburgh, the Carroll team finally claimed their prize: 8½ cases of churro Peeps—just over 2,000 marshmallow birdies.

It Takes a Village (and Lots of Hot Glue)

Making Peep Lightning wasn’t a solo act. Nearly the entire Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Marketing departments pitched in, with more than a dozen people devoting many hours to cutting, gluing, and shaping Lightning’s iconic features.

In addition to almost 1,400 Peeps, Peep Lightning features five types of black licorice: shoelace-style around the eyes, classic Twizzlers for various markings, Red Vines threaded on wire for the whiskers, pinwheels for the spots, and thick Australian licorice for the perfect claws.

One big question concerned the team: Would Lightning actually be able to stand? Their head, made large to match the real mascot’s proportions, also made them top-heavy. Sure enough, during transport to the venue, Lightning started to droop, literally nodding off mid-ride.

While setting up at the PEEPshow, Gregg had a lightbulb moment. He dashed to Lowe’s and grabbed another PVC pipe. The team then did a quick fix, performing a craniectomy on Lightning to extend their PVC “spine”. The head was thus stabilized, and Lightning stood tall and proud.

Enjoying Their Just Desserts

Why go through all this effort to build a confection-coated sculpture?

“It’s inspiring,” Katrina said, sharing that Lightning is her fifth PEEPshow creation. “I think there are over 160 pieces of art in the show this year. Some are done by little kids and others are done by seasoned artists who have entered all eighteen years the show has been running. People are just so happy at the PEEPshow. It feels nice to contribute to that.”

What’s next for Peep Lightning after the PEEPshow wraps? They might just become a campus legend! “There’s talk of putting them somewhere permanent—maybe in the library or the A Building,” Katrina said. “Peeps are like Twinkies. They don’t go bad!”

So, if you see a giant churro-flavored lynx smiling down at you on campus, know that behind their sweet toothy grin is a team of dedicated artists who dreamed big, glued fast, and brought Lightning to life, one Peep at a time.

The 18th Annual PEEPshow will be held at TownMall of Westminster (400 N. Center Street, Westminster, MD) from April 11-21. Admission is free, and you can buy votes for your favorite Peep® creations, with all proceeds benefiting the Carroll Arts Council.