I think there are many reasons that produce as vehicles are a thing.
The first is the same reason why I think we refer to objects by what size of produce it is similar to: produce is familiar. We can all picture a watermelon or an apple or a carrot. If someone refers to an unfamiliar object by comparing it to produce, we have a pretty good feel for it. Making a magical object a piece of produce helps ground it in reality and makes it still somewhat familiar and not totally foreign (which it would be if it was a magical vehicle with no groundingin reality).
I also think taking the familiar and giving it a twist feels somewhat magical. Peaches, I'm sure, can be larger than your average peach, but they certainly don't get to be vehicle sized (a tree would snap surely from the weight). Twisting the familiar is whimsical and makes us look at ordinary objects with a new magic.
I think that new magic is also part of it. If we take ordinary objects and make them extraordinary, couldn't that make us look at ordinary objects as extraordinary? Now a pumpkin isn't just a pumpkin, it's the base for a magical carriage. The story has brought a touch of magic to our everyday lives now.
In concert with that, using produce as magical vehicles makes us think of the story when we see the produce. Now I'm not saying that all writers are like "Aha! A way to make people think of my story in their everyday life!" However, I do think this is a factor for some authors. Once you've read a story with a giant piece of produce as a vehicle, you may think of it when you see that produce. Hopefully, it is a lovely memory you have and it makes you think fondly on a story that meant something to you. This is, again, a way of adding magic to the everyday.
To continue with the magic in the everyday theme, I also think that is how writers often see the world. Writers can be inspired by the smallest thing and it isn't unusual for writers to keep a notebook filled with random snippets of inspiration. One day, Roald Dahl may have seen a peach and just had the random thought about what if it was a vehicle. Seeing the magic in the everyday could be why produce is chosen as vehicles.
I also think it's just somewhat funny for things to not be the size you expect. Maybe this is a very basic sense of humor, but subverting expectations is a big part of humor I think. So something small like a peach being huge is just somewhat funny. And adding humor to stories is often a good choice.
Sometimes, I think it goes along with the theme. With Cinderella, the idea of appearances not matching the true nature of something is a major theme. So something ordinary like a pumpkin being transformed into a beautiful carriage fits perfectly with the story.
Anyways, what do you think?
Full prompt: What's up with produce as vehicles in stories? (e.g. Cinderella & pumpkins, James & the Giant Peach) Why do you think this is a thing??
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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