Peep Show

For 45 years, Bethlehem, Pa.-based Just Born Inc. uttered little more than a peep about its flagship brand.

Until now. Battling increased competition in the candy aisle, the 75-year-old company is airing its first-ever TV commercial for Peeps, the marshmallow bunnies and chicks that have graced Easter baskets for generations.

The ad, geared toward women 25 to 49 years old, is scheduled to run on ABC, CBS and several cable channels through Easter. Just Born, which also makes Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales, hopes the campaign will increase its Easter sales. Easter revenues for the candy industry are expected to top $1.76 billion this year.

As part of the campaign, Just Born surveyed consumers’ feelings about Peeps. About 60% of Peeps fans eat the head first. A majority favor yellow. The average fan claims to have eaten 743 in his or her lifetime. Peeps fans like to do strange things to the marshmallow critters, including: eat them stale, microwave them, freeze them and use them as pizza topping.

New York agency Griffin Bacal and Will Vinton Studios used computer graphics in the ad to choreograph a musical revue for multicolored Peeps, who dance to a reworked version of the ‘50s tune “Rockin’ Robin.�

Portland, Ore.-based Will Vinton, which created the famous singing California Raisins more than a decade ago, designed the ad. Here’s how:

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1. Director Gayle Ayers said making the ad presented a unique set of challenges. “It’s a strange phenomenon because people are so familiar with Peeps, but they’ve never advertised.� Because product recognition wasn’t an issue, advertisers decided to create a “fun spot� with dancing Peeps. The first step involved drawing Peeps in the computer. A particular challenge was figuring out how to draw the sugar that coats the marshmallow bodies.

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2. Once the characters were complete, animators started experimenting with different ways to make them move. Artists created so-called wire-frame images--computer-generated outlines of the Peeps--and programmed them to move this way and that to find a “realistic� dance sequence.

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3. After animators determined how to best make Peeps move, they colored in the wire frames to ensure that the chicks and bunnies weren’t making movements their shapes couldn’t handle.

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4. Next, animators choreographed the entire 15-second spot. To get a sense of how traditional musical numbers were designed, the production team watched footage from “West Side Story� and “Bye, Bye Birdie,� Ayers said. Animators then programmed a computer to place a stage, curtains and lighting in the spot.