Big Fat Stupid Food

Exhibit A

     Really, need we say more? Did the world really need Jumbo-Mallows? Consider: one old-fashioned marshmallow=25 calories. One cynically redesigned monumental jumbo-mallow=90 calories.
     Consider also: a recent study showed that people tend to eat by number-of-pieces, rather than by size-of-pieces. Thus, when one group of study subjects was given whole candies to eat, and another group was given pieces of candy that had been broken in half, both groups consumed the same number of pieces. The half-candy group therefore took in half the number of calories.
     Translate that to marshmallows. There's no doubt: people will rack up more calories when they eat super-sized marshmallows. Their eyes, their brains, will tell them "Hell, I've only had one marshmallow!" One hellacious marshmallow.

     Beyond the simple math, and the not-so-simple obesity epidemic, there is the aesthetic issue. Marshmallows were perfect as is, an American object amply endowed with quintessence. Ideally proportioned to pop into one's mouth, serendipitously shaped and sized for roasting and then for squishing between (also quintessential) graham crackers and Hershey's squares for the creation of quintessential s'mores. Why mess with it? Those crafty people at Kraft could tell you: just follow the money.

Exhibit B: Hey, Big Boy!