For more than 100 years, folks in Iowa have been turning a staple of kitchens everywhere into works of art at the annual State Fair in Des Moines.

It all began with the first butter sculpture of a cow at the 1911 event. That tradition was carried on for more than eight decades when the butter artists decided to branch out to include human subjects.

Since 1996, some of the more famous sculptures featured the likenesses of:

  • Elvis Presley (1997)
  • John Wayne (2001)
  • The Peanuts Gang (2002)
  • Tiger Woods (2005)
  • Harry Potter (2007)
  • Caitlin Clark (2023)
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In 2024, the focus of the butter sculptures is late-night television.

Johnny Carson
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Legendary entertainer Johnny Carson will be one of the featured subjects this year.

The longtime host of NBC's The Tonight Show was born in Corning, Iowa in 1925, and lived in Clarinda, Red Oak, and Avoca before his family settled in Norfolk, Nebraska in 1933.

He died in 2005 at age 79.

The current host of The Tonight Show will also be immortalized in butter in 2024.

Jimmy Fallon
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Jimmy Fallon was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2004 before taking over The Tonight Show in 2014.

The New York native has no ties to the Hawkeye State, but his Tonight Show announcer and sidekick does and he's also getting a butter sculpture in his honor this year.

Steve Higgins
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Steve Higgins graduated from Des Moines Roosevelt High School and attended the Univesity of Iowa before landing a job as a writer for Saturday Night Live in 1995.

His time with Fallon began on Late Night in 2009.  He moved followed Fallon to The Tonight Show five years later.

Also this year, State Fair butter sculptor Sarah Pratt and her team will make a butter version of the fair's Sky Glider ride, in honor of its 50th year of operation.

The 2024 Iowa State Fair runs from August 8-18.

13 Famous Iowans

It's a great day for Iowans. The first ever Major League Baseball game was played in Dyersville, Iowa last night (August 12) in The Field of Dreams game and it was awesome!

What a great way to showcase a beautiful state and celebrate the hospitality of Iowans.

Iowa may seem far away from Tinsel Town, but The Hawkeye State has produced many famous actors, musicians, and athletes!

The following 13 are just the tip of the iceberg!

Top Things Most Iowans Were Afraid Of When They Were Kids

If you were a kid in Iowa chances are you were afraid of many of the scary things on this list. Now be honest!

Best scenic drives in Iowa

It's time to hit the road—Stacker compiled a list of the best scenic drives in Iowa using data from Tripadvisor as of March 2024.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

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