Girl Constructs 'Left Shark' Replica Out Of Marshmallow Peeps

Left Shark deserves one final minute in the spotlight.

Katy Perry headlined the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show, but all eyes were on one unsuspecting, lesser known character. Left Shark, one of Perry's backup dancers, arguably stole the show when he moved to the beat of his own, silent drum during Perry's "Teenage Dream."

Left Shark gained instant celebrity with the flick of a fin. The Internet celebrated the character with endless memes, Left Shark merchandise was quickly set to production, and one fan even got Left Shark permanently tattooed on his body.

While Left Shark's fandom has faded some, one Maryland-based teen decided to construct a statue made of Marshmallow Peeps in his honor. Thirteen-year-old Sydney Blacksten crafted the six-foot replica to compete in the Carroll County Arts annual PEEPshow, where it will be displayed from March 27 to April 6.

Sydney told HuffPost that she used about 532 Peeps in total, with a few chick heads and chick bottoms thrown into the mix. For the white of the shark, Sydney used Mystery Peeps, a new product with a tangy flavor, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. The standard blue chicks were used for the rest of the shark's body.

Because Peeps are a seasonal item and only chirp (or hop) into stores around Easter time, contestants in Carroll County's PEEPshow have to plan out their designs in advance. Sydney's father, Mark Blacksten, said that their family starts brainstorming soon after the year's competition is over. And because of Peeps' limited shelf-life, everyone in the family is recruited to be on the look out for the particular Peeps Sydney needs to make her masterpiece.


Sydney and Left Shark

This year will mark Sydney's fifth time entering the show; she was very close to building a Mickey Mouse out of the Peeps, but settled on Left Shark after watching the Super Bowl. When Left Shark make his debut, she thought that "he was a really cool thing," and was inspired to memorialize him. When asked what we might expect for 2016's showpiece, Sydney said, "We haven't thought about it yet but I’m sure we’ll come up with something."

Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.

Before You Go

PEEPS Cake Pops

PEEPS Recipes

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE