Welcome to the cruel and bitter world of marshmallows. Exposed to air, they dry out – it is a universal law. Even left in the sanctity of their package for too long, they dry out.

We suppose with the right equipment you could follow the lead of the packaging industry and inject a little nitrogen into the package now and then and keep those bunnies and chicks fresh for who knows how long – but is that really practical?

Our society is filled with so much talk these days about eating locally and buying seasonal foods. Mostly they're talking about fruits and vegetables, of course, but you're going to have to take a page from that book and realize that marshmallow chicks and bunnies are seasonal. They may last a little past Easter, but not long.

Is it the actual chicks and bunnies that you love?, because you can get marshmallow jack-o;-lanterns at Halloween and marshmallow Santas at Christmas. Why do you want to preserve them, anyway? They're meant to be eaten, and once you open a package, you have to eat them all within a short period. It's just a universal law.