No other holiday (except for Halloween) is so universally defined by its candy. Eggs and bunnies are the modern-day emblems of the end of Lent, and their candy versions abound in the weeks leading up to the biggest day on the Christian calendar. Easter conjures thoughts of dancing chocolate bunnies, oozing Cadbury eggs, and squeaking Peeps rolling in rainbow sugar. But which one of these festive treats is going to reign supreme come Easter Sunday?
According to a survey by RetailMeNot, there is no competition. In a state-by-state ranking of America’s favorite Easter sweets, Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs reigned supreme – it was the top-ranking Easter candy in 29 states.
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The fanbase for Reese’s peanut butter chocolate eggs is a loyal one that is known to hoard the goods while they’re in season, freezing them, and helping themselves through the rest of the year. In a rather interesting take on this springtime tradition, Reese’s took it upon itself to freeze its own eggs this year: Reese’s froze thousands of its peanut butter eggs and encouraged fans to go on social media to claim their prize. The first 500 responders will get a surprise delivery of 36 frozen eggs each, one unsuspecting day this summer.
If a weird tribute is the best indicator of product loyalty then it’s no surprise that the Cadbury Egg was the second most popular Easter candy. Cadbury Egg super-fans claim to have found a way to place customized Starbucks orders that end up tasting like an off-menu Cadbury Egg Frappuccino. Chocolate bunnies came in third and it makes sense: When they’re hollow they’re sad and when they’re solid they’re too much.
But what about the ever-so-iconic Peep? Well, Peeps are the candy corns of spring. It seems that 73% of RetailMeNot customers said they flat out do not like Peeps. Virginia and Tennessee were the only two states to rank the radioactively-colored sugary confection above all other Easter candies. It wasn’t even number one in its home state of Pennsylvania. A survey from 2013 discovered that most Peep lovers start by biting off the head, an almost Freudian sign that even Peep-lovers are conflicted.