The butter cow has been an Iowa State Fair staple since 1911, when J.K. Daniels created the first cow. The popular exhibition, which consists of hundreds of pound of local butter applied to a wood and metal wireframe, is showcased in the coolers of the fairground's Agricultural Building.
History
The Iowa State Fair butter cow has had just five sculptors in its more-than 110-year history. Daniels was succeeded by J.E. Wallace, a sculptor and taxidermist, who also created butter sculptures for state fairs nationwide, including Florida, New York, and Texas. Wallace sculpted the State Fair's butter cows for 36 years until his death in 1956. Earl Frank Dutt was the butter cow's official sculptor from 1957–1959
Norma "Duffy" Lyon petitioned fair officials to become sculptor for the 1960 Iowa State Fair; she would go on to have the longest tenure, sculpting the fair's butter cows and companion sculptures for the next 45 years. Lyon was succeeded in 2006 by Sarah Pratt, her apprentice of 15 years.
Pratt is State Fair's butter cow sculptor as of 2022.
Companion sculptures
In 1994, Lyon won the fair's approval to create her first butter sculpture of a living person, country music singer Garth Brooks. Subsequent companion butter sculptures paid tribute to famous people, as well as historical, cultural, and current events, including entertainers Elvis Presley and John Wayne; athletes Tiger Woods and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson; a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, for the manufacturer's 100th anniversary; Grant Wood's American Gothic and Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper; and the 50th anniversaries of Star Trek, Sesame Street, and the fair's Sky Glider ride.
Year Additional Butter Sculpture 1994 Garth Brooks 1996 Grant Wood's American Gothic (honoring Iowa's Sesquicentennial) 1997 Elvis Presley 1998 An American eagle 1999 Duffy's own version of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper 2000 Christian Peterson sculpting The Gentle Doctor statue (Petersen was Duffy's mentor and teacher.) 2001 John Wayne 2002 Peanuts Gang 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle (in honor of the company's 100th anniversary) 2004 Birthday cake in honor of the Fair's Sesquicentennial and an Iowa barn 2005 Tiger Woods 2006 "Mr. State Fair" Bill Riley (in honor of his 60th Fair) and Superman (Norwalk, Iowa, native Brandon Routh) 2007 Harry Potter 2008 Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and a tribute to four Iowans who changed the face of the world's agriculture: Etta May Budd, George Washington Carver, Henry Wallace and Norman Borlaug. 2009 Tribute to the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the Moon 2010 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham 2011 Replica of 1911 butter cow sculptures, including a calf, young boy and chicken. A sculpture of a young girl with a butterfly was added as a tribute to Norma "Duffy" Lyon. 2012 75th anniversary of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 2013 A Tribute to the Historic Lincoln Highway (and President Lincoln) 2014 25th anniversary of Field of Dreams, a film set and mostly shot in rural Iowa 2015 Monopoly's mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags - 80th Anniversary 2016 50th Anniversary of Star Trek - Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Uhura 2017 150th Birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder 2018 100th Anniversary of John Deere's Waterloo Boy Tractor 2019 50th Anniversary of Sesame Street 2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 2021 50th anniversary of the Giant Slide (an attraction at the fair) 2022 The Music Man 2023 Kurt Warner, Caitlin Clark, and Jack Trice2024 50th anniversary of the Sky Glider ride at the fair: Jimmy Fallon, Steve Higgins and Johnny Carson, along with a replica of the ride's seat.2025 30th anniversary of Toy Story, featuring Andy's room2026 State Fair Pepsi Clock
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