Though food critics found it "slimy," "unhealthy" and "undignified," Americans love the Double Down, digesting millions of the notoriously breadless chicken sandwiches in the five weeks since its launch. Calling it an "unprecedented" success, KFC has decided to extend the "limited release" item into the summer. The Double Down certainly isn't helping the nation's obesity problem, but it is finding a place in their (increasingly imperiled) hearts. A look at the numbers behind this "meaty monstrosity":
10 million
Number of KFC Double Downs sold in the U.S. since its nationwide launch, on April 12
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53 million
Number of McDonalds Big Macs sold in the U.S. during the same period (based on annual sales figures of 550 million a year)
1,923
Average number of Double Downs sold at each of the 5,200 KFC outlets in America
540
Calories in a Double Down
32
Grams of fat in a Double Down
(Almost) 5
The winning total of Double Downs consumed in one 30-minute sitting, during a "Double Down eating contest"
5" X 4"
Estimated size of the Double Down, according to the accuracy-minded bloggers at Eater.com: "[There is] no information on its exact size, but the sandwich is not big."
6
Number of "double folded napkins" one unimpressed tester used to soak up the excess oil of his Double Down
500
Distance, in yards, that a group of nutritionists want KFC to keep Double Down advertisements away from schools. (KFC has not responded to the Dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's request.)
4
Percentage that sales fell at American KFC outlets in the first three months of 2010 — before the Double Down went on sale
$50 million
Approximate revenue generated from sales of Double Downs at $5 each
