Last month my family and I took a 2,800 mile road trip where we drove from Oklahoma to Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. On the last night of our vacation we visited to the Mall of America in Minnesota, and while we were in the mall we visited the Peeps store.
My souvenir for the entire trip was a blue coffee mug from that store that said “Inside We’re All The Same,” underneath five bunny Peeps. The next morning we packed all our bags into the car (with the gift bag containing my mug on top) and drove 800 miles back to Oklahoma. When we got home, I opened the SUV’s rear hatch and my mug immediately fell out and smashed into a dozen pieces in my driveway.
My souvenir. Busted.
I did what anyone in my situation would have done. I kicked the car’s tire (it was a rental), threw away the broke pieces of glass, and then voiced my pain to the world via Twitter. After that, I checked the official Peeps website (https://www.peepsandcompany.com) with the intent of replacing the mug. I paid $10 for the first mug; replacing it would have cost me another $10, plus $8/shipping. I decided to live without the mug.
Before I tell you what happened next, let me tell you why I bought the mug in the first place and why I was so bummed it broke. My house is filled with collectables, mementos and knick-knacks. Instead of coming home with yet another pot holder or magnet, Susan and I decided to start collecting coffee mugs from the many places we visit. And the thing is, we decided to start doing this while we were standing in the Peeps store. I saw the mug and we came up with the idea right there. The Peeps mug was literally going to be the first official mug in our new mug collection.
And I broke it.
So anyway, this story — like pretty much any story involving Peeps — has a happy ending. About a week ago I was contacted by someone from the Peeps corporation through Twitter who offered to replace the mug for free. I graciously accepted their offer and sent them my address.
This morning, this arrived:
And guess what was inside?
Not only is this the first official mug of our vacation mug collection, but it now has a super awesome story to go with it. And, this mug even came with something that the other one didn’t.
Bubble wrap.
Thanks again to the cool people at Peeps and Company for hooking me up with the mug. It’ll be used often and the story will be retold often.
I love this story. It has a happy ending, a big corporation came through big time, and the motto is wonderful. I’m just wondering where you’re going to display this new collection? I’m reminded of something I heard once from a Jeopardy contestant: “I have a vast collection of nothing in particular.”
We have a large collection of souvenir mugs. They tend to take up lots of space but are a great thing to collect because we drink lots of coffee in my house.
oh thank goodness! when I picked up the package on the front porch, I was in fear that it was full of loose lil chickens and bunnies that had been setting in the heat–now all melted —rather, bonded, together…………..