It’s time for ‘Bob’s Burgers’ to do right by Marshmallow

Bob’s Burgers messed up. I hate saying it. You probably hate reading it. And yet, here we are.

As protests against systemic racism continue across the country, the entertainment industry is once again addressing the pervasive issue of whitewashing. On Wednesday, that discussion reached adult animation as Jenny Slate exited Netflix’s Big Mouth after three years voicing mixed race character Missy. Big Mouth’s leadership was quick to support Slate’s decision with series creators promising to recast the part with a Black actor.

“Now do the same for our girl Marshmallow.”

Less than an hour later, the team behind AppleTV+’s Central Park announced they too would recast a biracial character who had been played by white actor Kristen Bell.

“We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone’s feelings of exclusion or erasure,” series creators Josh Gad, Norah Smith, and Loren Bouchard said in a joint statement posted to their social media accounts and Bell’s. “Our shop and our show will be better for respecting the nuances and complexity around the issue of representation and trying to get it right.” 

One fan, eager to keep the corrective train rolling, responded to Bouchard’s post, saying, “Now do the same for our girl Marshmallow.” The Bob’s Burgers creator soon replied: “Yes. On it.” 

Even longtime Belcher family fans may be surprised to learn Marshmallow, a Black transgender character and iconic Bob’s favorite, is voiced by white cisgender actor David Herman. Arguably most recognizable for his role as Michael Bolton in the 1999 film Office Space, Herman has played a slew of Bob’s characters over the years – including Mr. Frond, who appears in dozens of episodes as the kids’ school guidance counselor and their aunt’s on-again-off-again boyfriend. 

That Herman somehow also had to play Marshmallow pretty well sucks. It’s a clear example of white privilege superseding authenticity and representation, marginalizing and erasing Black LGBTQ voices to once again elevate straight white voices. (Representatives for Herman, Bouchard, and FOX Broadcasting did not respond to Mashable’s request for comment.)

Removing Herman from that role is a good step. But the problem with Marshmallow goes far beyond the actor who voices her. For years, Bob’s fans have expressed concern about how Marshmallow is (and isn’t) portrayed. While the Emmy-winning show is typically praised for its inclusive, warm messaging, it’s been surprisingly obtuse in its handling of the show’s only Black trans character. Created when Bob’s was still trying its hand at blue comedy (remember, this mostly kid-friendly show was originally pitched with a more mature audience in mind and was about cannibalism, I shit you not), Marshmallow’s debut episode, titled “Sheesh! Cab, Bob?”, aired to nearly 5 million households in 2011 and included plenty of transphobic messaging. 

In the Season 1 plotline, Bob befriends a group of sex workers, each of whom identifies as a drag performer, a cross-dresser, or a trans woman, and all of whom happen to be voiced by cisgender male actors. (The identities of each character are not made entirely clear in the episode, though Marbles, voiced by 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer, explicitly and graphically describes pursuing gender confirmation surgery.)

“I couldn’t goddamn believe people had actually recommended this to me knowing I’m a trans woman.” 

Throughout the episode, tone-deaf jokes whiz by as the script clumsily employs stereotypes, misgendering, and repeated, offensive uses of the word “transvestite.” Marshmallow’s characterization is certainly the most flattering of the group – she appears as a final act kicker with some of the best lines of the episode – but the overall mean-spiritedness of the installment taints her introduction. Close-up shots of Adam’s apples on female-presenting characters are accompanied by clownish sound effects. Numerous sex work scenes reinforce the idea that being part of the trans community is somehow seedy or morally corrupt. In a particularly distasteful instance, one of the sex workers spontaneously offers Bob crack cocaine. 

“I couldn’t goddamn believe people had actually recommended this [show] to me knowing I’m a trans woman,” one Redditor wrote of the episode, which she saw in 2017. “I know it’s ancient history by now, but after looking around Google for a bit, it seems that there was almost no controversy over this episode which is [absolute] garbage.”

Of course, what was considered acceptable among mainstream audiences in 2011 isn’t what’s acceptable today – but that doesn’t make the episode OK. One could have reasonably understood Marshmallow being removed from the Bob’s universe as show creators thought better of their freshman season. Instead, Bob’s opted to keep Marshmallow part of its rotating cast – a move that thus far has only cemented her marginalization.  

Of the 10 other episodes Marshmallow has appeared in, two have provided her with non-speaking cameos and the other eight have given her fewer than 10 speaking lines. More often than not, Marshmallow arrives as a visual gag – a prop for other characters (mainly Bob) to riff off of and react to. You know, the ol’ “Hey, Marshmallow.” They’re great moments, ones that never fail to get a laugh from me or the people I enjoy Bob’s with. Still, not understanding who Marshmallow is, what she values, or which people she’s close to inherently means we can’t appreciate her as a fully realized character. 

It’s clear the show would like to be given credit for its representation of Black trans people, even if that representation is shallow.

Even in “The Bleakening,” a two-part Christmas special that focused on LGBTQ club culture and cast Todrick Hall in the guest role of drag queen Miss Triple X-mas, Marshmallow played no significant role. The richest character development Marshmallow has ever received – “All I know about Marshmallow is that she comes and goes as she pleases, she answers to no one, and she is truly free” – is delivered by another character in an episode she doesn’t even get to be in. (That episode is “The Hormone-iums” in Season 6. Yes, the one where Marshmallow having shoes so large you could fit a wine bottle in them serves as a genuine plot point.) 

Sure, you could argue Marshmallow’s mysterious characterization is by design and that we don’t need to know more about her to appreciate her. However, Bob’s has repeatedly touted Marshmallow as a symbol of its queer allyship – plastering her face on the show’s 2019 (50% of the proceeds of which went to The Trevor Project) and using her character to wish LGBTQ viewers a happy Pride in 2020 . It’s clear the show would like to be given credit for its representation of Black trans people, even if that representation is shallow, lacking, and originates from an offensive chapter in the show’s history.

As I see it, there are two ways forward. 

In 2017, fans petitioned Bouchard and FOX Broadcasting via Change.org, asking that Marshmallow be given her own episode – one that “will center on her life and her point of view.” The petition gave a wide array of reasons for the request, among them “because black/brown/queer/trans* lives matter,” because “representation matters,” and “because comedy is part of human experience and trans* people are human.” Many signers of the petition, of which there were 281, argued it would simply make for great television. 

“Marshmallow is the best underutilized background character on that show, and I need more Marshmallow!” one person said. “Trans women of color are more than just punchlines for being trans,” said another. “Give her her own jokes, it’ll be awesome!” “I want to see a typical day for Marshmallow! It’s got to be interesting!”

On Reddit, fans have written entire episodes imagining Marshmallow-centric stories. On Twitter, some have taken to arguing for their fantasy recasts (naturally, Laverne Cox and Latrice Royale have both become favorites). Bob’s viewers love Marshmallow – so much so that whether she’ll appear in the upcoming feature-length movie has become a hot spot for speculation. 

Laced with racist marginalization and subtle transphobia, this seemingly well intentioned instance of Black LGBTQ representation reinforced toxic stereotypes to millions of viewers. Giving Marshmallow a rich and responsible narrative would help repair that damage. (Oh, and pulling “Sheesh! Cab, Bob?” from syndication and stopping all reruns couldn’t hurt either.) With Season 10 wrapped in May and more Bob’s not expected until the fall, Bouchard and the Bob’s team have plenty of runway to right this wrong. 

Alternatively, Bob’s could write Marshmallow off the show, and replace her with one or more trans characters introduced more thoughtfully. That we haven’t seen Marshmallow in more than two seasons may indicate the Bob’s team was already heading in this direction.

Either way, the next time we visit Ocean Avenue, the Marshmallow issue must be addressed. I’d like for her stay, but if she can’t, I understand. In the world of animation, a magical realm where artists can imagine away barriers and draw endlessly optimistic realities, there’s simply no room for erasure – especially when it comes to a character as great as Marshmallow.