I read this post and went, "Hm, which fat children's literature characters do I remember?" and immediately The Five Find-Outers came to mind. Where the fat character is called Fatty. Oh dear. (OTOH, I kinda like Fatty. *g*)

Then there are the girls in The Wind on the Moon who eat themselves fat as balloons, so that horrible kids prick them with needles, and they cry themselves thin as matches... not very nice for fat OR thin people, that one. :-)

Hmm... Karlsson-on-the-roof is fat and about the most conceited bastard ever. Not sure if that's a positive or negative.

This is really interesting! You've really got my cogwheels started now.