The Peep Show

       

    I suppose the title probably doesn't line up with the picture when one thinks of peep shows. I did a little research and found out that peep shows have actually been around since sometime in the 1500's. The first known version was traced back to Europe to one Leon Battista Alberti. I think they started innocently enough.  Apparently, a vendor would wonder around the country with a box on their back. Inside the box would be drawings of far off places or miniature figurines, or theatrical scenes or other things of interest. A candle would be lit and for a small fee the customer could look inside the box through a hole. They used to be called Rarees short for rarity shows. In the 1890's, machines were created that projected slides of naked ladies. Go figure

They eventually were given the name Peep Shows after a tailor, who allegedly cut a hole in the shutters in order to get a glimpse of Lady Godiva as she came riding by naked on her horse. While the story may be fabricated, there apparently really  was a Lady Godiva. If she had indeed passed by on a horse riding naked as a jaybird, I doubt many men would have been able to resist a peek, even if it meant repairing the shutter.

 On a similar note, I recall being in Radarman "A" school in Great Lakes Illinois at a recreation building on base. They used to sell junk food and had pool and ping pong tables and I can't recall what all else. There was even a comic book vending machine in the lobby. One thing stands out above all else though.  Along with the normal pin ball machines, a different machine showed up on base. It projected an image of a fully clothed woman on the screen. The image had a bullseye somewhere on her body, and the whole picture would rotate  around the screen. The sailors would put a quarter in, and shoot at the bullseye. If you hit it, the next scene she would be wearing less clothes. Of course once it was discovered, it quickly became the most popular source of entertainment on the base. Guys who were marksmen were given all the quarters they could handle in an attempt to view the gal without a stitch on.  I think the machine stopped working after the first night because the  coin box was too full to accept any more. Needless to say, it was the most popular attraction on the base. 

As pleasant as it is to recall days gone by,  this post is about another kind of peep show, the kind you see at Wal-mart and other retail stores this time of year. I was in shopping a few weeks ago, giving no thought whatsoever to Easter or candy or bunnies or any such thing, when I passed by an aisle that caught my eye. It was loaded, top to bottom with candy, baskets, grass, stuffed bunnies, and chicks and who knows what else. Of course, I immediately started thinking about Peeps. For those who might not be familiar, Peeps are the sugar coated marshmallow candies shaped like chicks or bunnies or even squirrels now. At one time they just came in yellow, and were shaped like chicks. Now you can get a multitude of colors and even flavors. There's blue and pink and lavender, as well as the traditional yellow. Of course there is the original flavor, but also things like Rice Krispies Treats flavors. They always do that; take something good and in an effort to improve it, or make more sales, they go overboard.

Of course I had to have a package of Peeps. I got the original flavor ones, though I didn't see any yellow chicks, so I had to settle for lavender bunnies. The stupid thing is, I don't even like marshmallows; yet for some reason, Peeps have found a way into my heart, or more accurately, into my belly. I'm glad they only come out once a year.