Many of us remember the first time we ate a chocolate bunny at Easter.  We excitedly ripped open the packaging, or peeled off the foil - only to find after that first bite, it was hollow!

Most people have conspiracy theories as to why the vast majority of chocolate bunnies aren't solid.   Now,  these days there are peanut butter and creme-filled rabbits, but most are still full of air.

Why is that so?   Most believe it's to save money by the manufacturer.  Some cruel retail joke designed to make us think the bunny is bigger than it is.  But the real reason is quite simple.

According to the Smithsonian Institute website,  YOU are the reason.  They talked to officials and experts from the R.M. Palmer candy company of Pennsylvania, who annually crank out about 25 million such treats.

The real reason they're hollow?  So they can actually be eaten!   Imagine you are ready to dig into a 5 or six-inch tall chocolate rabbit.  Say it IS solid chocolate.  That first bite is likely to end in pain or frustration because the candy is so hard.   Chocolate has to have a certain texture to hold it's shape.

As a child, I once or twice tried to take a bite of my mom's semi-sweet chocolate baking blocks in the kitchen, thinking they were candy.  I nearly broke my tooth!  And those were only about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Imagine a big, solid bunny who's 2 inches wide at the base? It would like biting into a brick.

Palmer, and other companies, have tested numerous types of chocolate bunnies over the years, and found that hollow bunnies are far more preferred by consumers than solid, simply because they're easier to eat!  Some people like to break them apart, others simply chomp down and bite the bunny itself.     The only types of solid bunnies that sell well are the very small, almost bite-size types that can easily be bitten through.

Some of you are still arguing that a solid bunny could be pared up with a sharp knife.  Ok, have you ever tried to cut through inches of solid chocolate? Not without a chain saw, buddy. Most consumers don't want to have to go through so much hassle to get their treat.

So now you know,  it's not a conspiracy,  hollow bunnies are actually what you've wanted all along.

 

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