Marshmallow Shooter

I saw the marshmallow shooter concept some time ago and thought it might be a neat idea to try. Now that I’ve built one and taken it for a test spin I can officially say it’s not just neat - it’s awesome!! These very simple inexpensive “guns” can really shoot a marshmallow. I put this together in about 5 minutes and for under $5 (including the marshmallow “ammo”). And now I’m going to make one for everyone I can think of cause they’re just that fun!

Ready to build one? You won’t regret it.

What You’ll Need

• 19 inches of 1/2″ PVC pipe (This will be cut into 5 - 3 inch pieces and 1 - 7 inch piece)
• 2 - end caps for 1/2″ PVC pipe
• 2 - elbows for 1/2″ PVC pipe
• 2 - 3-way joints for 1/2″ PVC pipe
• A way to measure
• A way to cut PVC pipe (hacksaws work great)

Step 1 - Measure and mark your PVC pipe

Measure your PVC pipe and mark out 5 sections of 3 inches and 1 section of 7 inches.

I measured out the 3 inch pieces first.

Here’s my single 7 inch piece.

Step 2 - Cut your PVC pipe

Using a hacksaw, carefully cut your pipe into the sections noted above. I was lucky enough to have a husband who owns one of those little circular saws so this part went really quick for me (p.s. safety goggles are good.) Otherwise, a hacksaw works fine too. If you don’t have one in your stash, ask around. Chances are good that someone you know has one you could borrow. In the end you should have 5 pieces of 3 inches each and 1 piece of 7 inches.

Here’s what everything will look like when you’re ready to assemble it. Notice that my cuts aren’t perfect. It really doesn’t matter. The beauty of this shooter is that it hides all your little boo-boos when cutting (or in my case my impatience to play with it!)

Step 3 - Prepare to Assemble

I’m a visual person so I like to lay things out before I put them together. Here’s the visual layout I used (in case you’re like me!)

Step 4 - Put that Bad Boy Together

Here’s the most satisfying part - just push the pieces together. No glue necessary. In fact, glue would be a disadvantage because there will be times when your 3 year old shoves half the bag in the tube and pulling the pipes apart is a piece of cake as long as they aren’t glued together. I do recommend making sure they are pushed together good and tight - don’t go crazy, but put a little muscle in it.

How to Shoot

Now you’re ready for the really fun part! Put the marshmallow in the upper part that looks like a periscope. Just place it in there - no need to shove it down or anything. Then put your mouth to the pipe, make a puff of air with your mouth and that marshmallow will come rocketing out the front end (at surprising speeds I might add!)

One at a time works best, but we’ve had success with about three at a time.

She’s ready for launch!

And that’s it! Next on the list is designing some kind of marshmallow “ammo” pouch belt. I’m thinking duct tape…

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