Another explanation for the flourishing of these one function modules may be the fact that some people feel a kind of high/achievement from being able to say they have a published module out there. A sort of bragging rights if you will.

"I may not be Mick Jagger, but I am playing in a band and we did have some gigs (before we had that 50% decline in audience when my mother got bored and stopped showing up)" - just about every twentysomething before coding became a desirable career

Maybe some people just want to claim they have a published module. Making them feel some sort of achievement or glory.

Not just making them feel... I think this may be targeted towards recreuiters, who may be impressed by the sheer amount of npm modules someone has published.