Serious Eats
Butter Sculptures Gallery
The next time you slather the creaminess on toast, please realize: butter has another noble purpose. Inspired by the life-sized butter reconfiguration of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, we wanted to dig deeper and better understand the curious art form.
Butter Sculptures: A Brief History
Tibetan Buddhists were first to bestow upon us the butter sculpture. Covering monastery altars and family shrines for years, the intricate offerings are still sacred today. Monk artists work in extremely cold conditions to avoid the inevitable melting issue.
During the 19th century, the tradition spread to North America where butter sculpting has become a standard at state fairs. One of the most recognizable and beloved is Butter Cow, first created at the Iowa State Fair in 1910. The original artist went by "Mr. Daniels" but since then, many people in many states have attempted the annual crowd pleaser. This year, butter art even went green. When the New York state fair ends this summer, students from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will convert the 900 pounds of butter sculptures into biodiesel for campus vehicles.
At this point, you really haven't made it unless you've been memorialized in buttah.
John McCain and Barack Obama
Photograph from evileyeny on Flickr
Erie County Fair, 2008.
Gymnast Shawn Johnson with Butter Balance Beam
Photograph from TheInadvertentGardener.com
Iowa State Fair, 2008.
The Wright 'Butters'
Photograph from srhbth on Flickr
Ohio State Fair, 2003.
Elvis with Hound Dog
Photograph from katybeck on Flickr
Texas State Fair, 2005.
Harry Potter with Hogwarts Owl
Photograph from red around the world on Flickr
Iowa State Fair, 2005.
Darth Vader
Tulsa State Fair, 2005.
Yoda
Tulsa State Fair, 2005.
Tiger Woods with Real Tiger
Photograph from Will Wilkinson on Flickr
Iowa State Fair, 2005.
Marilyn Monroe
Photograph from WhatKnot on Flickr
Texas State Fair, 2006.
Butter Boy with Pig Friend
Photograph from cannellfan on Flickr
Nebraska State Fair, 2006.
Pumpkin with Scary Face
Photograph from jenniferjuniper226 on Flickr
Texas State Fair, 2004.
Mount Rushmore-Inspired 'Mount Buckeye'
Photograph from marzipanz on Flickr
Ohio State Fair, 2008.
Butter sculptor Bob Kling called this "Mount Buckeye" to pay respect to all eight American presidents who came from the Buckeye state of Ohio: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
'Big Butter Jesus'
Photograph from SolidRockChurch.org
Solid Rock Church. Monroe, Ohio.
Technically, this one is made of fiberglass, not butter, but was nicknamed "Big Butter Jesus" because of the yellowish, creamy-looking appearance. Resurrected by the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, the Jesus statue stands 62-feet high with a 42-foot wing span between the hands.
One of the Many Famous Butter Cows
Photograph from 10bagspacking on Flickr
Iowa State Fair, 2006. (Though Butter Cow reinterpretations date back to the early 1900s).