Happy National Toasted Marshmallow (or is it Marshmelon?) Day!

BY
StarTrek.com Staff

August 30, 2015 4:00 AM PDT

Happy National Toasted Marshmallow Day, everyone! Yes, you read that correctly. Today, August 30, is really National Toasted Marshmallow Day. And to celebrate we thought we'd once again look back at one of the strangest, least-logical Star Trek tie-in product ever produced. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the infamous Kraft Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Marshmallow Dispenser. A marshmallow dispenser? Star Trek? One that looks more like a light saber from another sci-fi universe than any Trek prop anyone's ever seen?

It was, of course, inspired by the legendary/love-it-or-hate-it Star Trek V campfire sequence at Yosemite National Park, the one that builds to Kirk, Spock and McCoy, having devoured far too many of Bones' bourbon beans, singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Just before the "singing" starts, Spock—having consulted the computer library to familiarize himself with the customs associated with camping out—whips out a "marshmelon" dispenser. Marshmelon? Yeah, we have no idea, either, though we've heard the unsubstantiated scuttlebutt that McCoy messed with the ship's computer just to rattle Spock's cage.

Anyway, that brief marshmelon mention was enough for Paramount to convince Kraft to offer their plastic version to fans who sent in a proof of purchase from a bag of Jet-Puffed Marshmallows. It pushes out three full-size marshmallows, providing, well, nanoseconds of wondrous fun. And, for reasons unexplained, it comes with an attached plastic fork and spoon, as well as a congratulatory note from Admiral James T. Kirk himself.

Not surprisingly, it's a popular collectible. StarTrek.com looked today on Amazon and eBay, and depending on its condition and whether or not the package has been opened, a marshmallow dispenser can fetch anywhere from $33 to $99, though we've seen it for less (around $15-$25) in recent months.

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