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MISSION, Kan. (AP) 鈥� With egg prices stubbornly high, the internet has offered up a host of alternatives, with crafters painting rocks and influencers dyeing everything from marshmallows to potatoes.

鈥淔inally a use for B sized potatoes!!鈥� one commenter wrote in response to a video posted on Facebook.

But amid the laughing emojis, LOLs and people simply posting 鈥渉uh,鈥� there has been a lot of interest from price-conscious parents as U.S. egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record high of $6.23 per dozen. Relief could be coming: There is evidence that prices are falling, and grocery stores may start offering discounts to get shoppers in the door.

But even with all that, egg prices are higher than ever. That has the idea of coloring potatoes or rocks, which first made the rounds after a 2023 spike in prices, making a resurgence.

Marshmallows and potatoes spark video dyeing craze

One video that is circulating shows a grinning mom filling cupcake tins with dye. Her child then skewered marshmallows with toothpicks before gently lowering them into the dye and proudly displaying the creations on a glass platter. Another influencer created marshmallow chicks by dipping marshmallows in yellow food coloring, dabbing dots of black icing to create eyes and and then attaching orange M&Ms for a nose and feet.

Other videos feature shoppers plucking hefty bags of potatoes off the shelf, along with egg dye.

鈥淧otatoes are about the only thing I can afford,” one grateful online commenter posted. Another boiled it down into a single-word response: 鈥淐heaper.鈥�

Foil eggs become a new tradition for one family

Kelly Friedl of Chicago dyes eggs for Easter with her two kids every year. But because of this year’s high prices, she came up with an alternative: foil eggs. Cut egg shapes out of cardboard, wrap them in foil, and you have shiny eggs to decorate and reuse.

鈥淥ur mom used to buy three dozen eggs,鈥� said Friedl, 59, who leads a childcare products company called Urban Infant. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we even ate all the eggs, but it鈥檚 the memory of doing something with your mom.鈥�

For many families like Friedl’s, dyeing eggs isn鈥檛 so much about eating eggs. That meant having some go bad in the fridge wasn鈥檛 such a big deal when a dozen cost less than $2, as they consistently did for years, outside the 2015 bird flu outbreak and the current one. But not now.

Paas, a supplier of egg dyeing kits, said that while 94% of those who celebrate Easter will dye eggs this year, 78% of families said they would dye fewer of them than in past years due to the expense.

Plastic eggs, crafty kits and other holiday fun

The craft retailer Michaels said their craft egg kits are flying off the shelves. Sales of two of the kits are up 20% compared to the same time last year, said Melissa Mills, senior vice president and general merchandising manager at Michaels.

Walmart, the nation鈥檚 largest retailer, declined to comment on sales of dyeable plastic eggs and other alternatives, but said it wasn鈥檛 the first year it carried them. Among some options for shoppers: a carton of 12 plastic eggs that include four liquid dye packets and four egg-dyeing bags and Play-Doh Easter eggs.

Despite the change in tradition, Friedl鈥檚 family is looking forward to the holiday.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a super crafty family and the most valued gift in our house is a gift that someone has made you,鈥� Friedl said. 鈥淲e get together every year and do eggs, and we love it.鈥�

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Dee-Ann Durbin, Caroll Hannah and Josh Funk contributed to this report. Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.