BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It’s Easter morning. A boy rouses his younger brother, and they run to the living room to find their baskets filled with — what else? — Peeps.

‘‘Peeps are THE candy of Easter,’’ the excited boy tells his wide-eyed sibling. ‘‘You can eat ‘em, smash ‘em, microwave ‘em, deep fry ‘em, roast ‘em on a stick,’’ the boy explains. That’s not all. You can make ‘‘Peeps pop art . . . hide-and-go Peeps . . . Peepshi — that’s sushi made out of Peeps.’’