FAIR TIME! 🎡
50-60 A MINUTE 🤯 That's how many cream puffs will be consumed EVERY 60 SECONDS during this year's Wisconsin State Fair, which kicks off TODAY!
That comes out to roughly 400,000 over the course of 11 days. And — in case you're wondering — those puffs contain:
✅ 800 pounds of shortening
✅ ONE TON of whipping cream
✅ 550 calories (& 45 grams of fat) a pop!
The now-iconic Wisconsin State Fair staple has now been served at EVERY fair since 1924 🥳
HOW DID CREAM PUFFS BECOME A WISCONSIN STATE FAIR TRADITION⁉️ It started in 1924 — when Gov. John Blaine asked the state’s food inspector to come up with a product that would highlight Wisconsin’s dairy industry for the State Fair.
This particular food inspector, Charles Kremer, was chosen because his family owned a bakery on Milwaukee’s south side.
The first cream puffs debuted at the fair that summer and were a hit — but didn’t achieve ICON status until the 1940s, when whipped cream was a wartime scarcity, so cream puffs became a LUXURY 😋
It’s marketed as the “Best 11 Days of Summer” for a reason: The Wisconsin State Fair has a rich history of bringing together people, animals, music, carnival rides, show booths, and some of the weirdest foods you’ve ever seen 🎡
From the first fair held in Janesville back in 1851 to the 175th annual this year, more than a million people from across the Midwest make the trip to West Allis every summer for a taste of Wisconsin.
Here are a few things you’ll only find at the Wisconsin State Fair:
✅ Cream Puffs the Size of Your Fist
The iconic Original Cream Puff (yes, it’s trademarked and capitalized), is the most popular food at the fair. First sold in 1924, an estimated 400,000 will be consumed this year at multiple locations throughout the 200-acre grounds. During the 11-day event, 150 bakers known as “Team Cream Puff” work 24/7 to keep up with demand!
✅ The “Sporkies” Finalists
The State Fair is known for its unique and unusual foods, which is why organizers created their own annual food competition, The Sporkies. Brats, beers, and even bugs — you’ll find it all!
✅ The Giant Slide
Fair week isn’t only about food. The super-sized, 200 foot slide has been a favorite of kids of all ages since it first appeared more than 50 years ago. Like the Spin City (carnival) section of the fair, you have to pay extra to ride down, but it’s affordable! Only $3 a turn.
✅ The Largest Dairy Cattle Show in the Country
Animals are also a big part of Wisconsin’s fair, and the annual youth show is the largest of its kind in America. Children across the state prepare all year to showcase their animals; they have to register before January for the chance to show. During the fair, not only are there formal shows, but up-close-and-personal animal encounters. When not “on stage,” walk through the dairy barn to see just how big and well-behaved the animals act.
The 2026 fair runs from August 6-16th at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis!
Can you believe admission to the first Wisconsin State Fair in 1851 was as little as 10 cents⁉️ Here are 9 more milestones you might not remember OR have been alive to experience ⤵️
1887 — More than 200 sheep and 300 poultry entries caused officials to add a limit to the number moving forward.
1907 — The fair’s Dairy Cattle Barn was built. It’s still the oldest building at State Fair Park!
1924 — The cream puff made its debut in the Dairy Building.
1942 — 124,783 people attended the fair in a single day, setting a new record.
1972 — The now-iconic snowflake logo was introduced to symbolize the year-round use of State Fair Park.
1989 — The Belle of Wisconsin, a 40,000-pound block of cheddar, ended its nationwide promotional tour at the State Fair.
1998 — A 130-foot platform was built so visitors could try bungee jumping.
2009 — “On-A-Stick”-mania reached new heights, with food options like chocolate-covered bacon-on-a-stick, fried peanut butter and jelly-on-a-stick, cherry pie-on-a-stick, mini burgers-on-a-stick, and cookie dough on-a-stick.
2011 — The largest Cream Puff ever made measures in at 7.5 inches tall by 38 inches wide and a whopping 126 pounds, earning a spot in the Guinness World Record books.
2020 — The State Fair was canceled for the first time since 1945 due to the COVID-19.
ONE MORE THING 💭 Trump’s “Great American State Fair” drew about 200,000 visitors to DC over the course of 16 days.
The annual Wisconsin State Fair routinely draws more than a million over the course of 11 days!
