Photos by Unsie Zuege

Ann O’Neill’s solution to the question, “What do you get someone who has everything?” Make them a PEEPS Target Field. “Hey, circle me Bert!”

Easter tradition takes turn for the marshmallowy

By Unsie Zuege

uzuege@swpub.com

Ann O’Neill of Victoria has nine children, ages 17 to 36, and for as long as they can remember, she has gone out of her way to annoy them on Easter morning.

The O’Neill kids hate PEEPS. You know-PEEPS-the little marshmallow chicks and bunnies in fluorescent hues of yellow, pink, blue, green and orange. Her kids have always hated them, and always will.

So, of course, Ann can’t leave it at that.

Every Easter, she has made a point of filling their Easter baskets with PEEPS, and to add salt to the injury, or should we say, sugar, she attaches PEEPS to their favorite candy.

“You know, how when you pull them apart, they’re sticky?” Ann said. “So I stick them to the side of something they really like.”

Over the years, she’s kicked up the annoyance factor by decorating her house with PEEPS at Easter. In past years, she’s made a PEEPS topiary, a PEEPS door wreath, a PEEPS Sandals-styled resort/pool party diorama.

This year, Ann’s kids and grandkids can expect to see her in a Peep-encrusted Easter bonnet. And, they’ll search for their Easter eggs in a backyard decorated with several life-sized PEEPS, made from insulation board in pink, blue and green, of course.

“It’s to bug my kids,” Ann said.

Try to top this

Last week was filled with excitement. In addition to anxiously awaiting the birth of her seventh grandchild at any time, Ann knew there was some sort of surprise planned for her 61st birthday on Wednesday. It was all very hush hush. No one was talking. All she was told was to wear jeans and her most favorite T-shirt, and be ready at 10:30 a.m.

Her birthday began with the birth of her seventh grandchild, Dennis Charles O’Neill. And the day was just getting started. At 10:30 a.m., her kids picked her up-sons Eddie, the new father; Tommy, and Bill, and daughter Katie and her boyfriend Mike and grandkids Kay Marie, Little John and Seamus.

Her big surprise, courtesy of her friends Gail and Randy Ross, of Victoria, was tickets to the Minnesota Twins game at Target Field. And not just any tickets, but two seats in the Champion’s Club and all its perks: Complimentary beer, wine and soda pop all day, an all-you-can-eat buffet, valet parking and a bird’s eye view right into the Twins dugout.

Originally, her son Tommy was going to be in the club with her as he’s the big time Twins fanatic, but he swapped seats with his brother John.

“I see my daughter who lives in Hawaii more often than I see John,” Ann said. “He lives in the Twin Cities, but he’s always working. So that was really special.”

And to top it off, the Twins electronic sign flashed “The Minnesota Twins welcome their newest fan, Dennis Charles O’Neill born 4/13/11.”

After the game, daughters Mary, Laura and Liz joined the crew for dinner.

“Best day ever!” Ann said.

One of kind

“The Rosses are so generous,” Ann said. “What do you do for people like that? You can’t send them flowers, they turn around and send over hanging plants. You can’t take them out to dinner because they want to pay for everybody. You can’t top ’em.

“Earlier in the week, Gail bought me a bunch of PEEPS for my birthday because she knows I make stuff,” Ann said. “So that’s how I got the idea of making a Twins stadium, to thank them.”

Ann started the project last Saturday at 6 p.m. and worked until 2 a.m.; she was back at it at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, and worked all day. Her kitchen table was crowded with bunny and chick PEEPS, paints, and a web of glue gun threads. Monday, she tracked down the last of the small details for the stadium.

Of all the PEEPS projects, Ann’s done, this may be her piece de resistance.

She’s created the Twins’ Target Field in miniature, and filled it with PEEPS. Joe Mauer is a Peep. Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer, Tsuyoshi Nishioka in a leg brace. They’re all PEEPS, dressed in Twins logo caps, carrying miniature gloves.

There’s the vintage Twins sign with two Twins players, that look like PEEPS; the fans in the stands are PEEPS. They’re waving Homer Hankies, eating corndogs and French fries, and holding up signs that say “Circle me Bert!”

“PEEPS,” Ann said. “It’s one thing the Rosses can’t top.”

Retro

The retro Twins sign never looked Peepier.

PEEPS Fun Facts

In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one PEEPS Marshmallow Chick. Today, it takes six minutes.
The company Just Born produces enough PEEPS in one year to circle the earth twice.
Yellow is the best-selling color of chicks and bunnies
Yellow and white PEEPS chicks and bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange.
If you had 8,000 PEEPS bunnes and stood them in a straight vertical line, you could reach the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago.
Get PEEPS Easter dessert recipes at www.marshmallowPEEPS.com
There are many PEEPS decorating contests across the country including the ones sponsored by the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/peep-culture) and the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com/features/PEEPS/ ).

Source: www.justborn.com