Ohio State Fair butter cow display

In 2026, the butter cow gets a new, even cooler home! Enjoy air-conditioning, more space to roam, and plenty of delicious ice cream and milkshakes in the renovated Dairy Building.

In 1903, the first-ever butter cow-and-calf sculptures were featured at the Ohio State Fair when they were entered into a butter-sculpting contest sponsored by The Ohio State University and the Dairy Processors of Ohio. The subjects of this early contest were not restricted to specific subject matter, but the life-size cow sculpted by A.T. Shelton & Company, distributors of Sunbury Co-Operative Creamery butter, became such a popular attraction that it later became a permanent attraction.

Eventually, the butter cow and calf found a permanent home in the Dairy Building, which was built in 1925. New cow and calf sculptures have become a time-honored tradition. They are created each year, along with a mystery sculpture that reflects the positive ideals and cultural trends in Ohio.

Fun Facts

• A temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit is maintained inside the cooler.
• Each year, approximately 500,000 people visit the Dairy Building to see the butter sculptures and enjoy dairy products.
• Artists often use more than 2,200 pounds of butter and spend upwards of 500 hours working on creating the butter sculptures each year.
• The Ohio State Fair is home to the largest butter sculpture display of any fair in the country!
• The American Dairy Association Mideast uses butter past its expiration date and not able to be consumed.
• The delicious ice cream served in the Dairy Building is the same brand of ice cream served in the Taste of Ohio Cafe!

Some previously featured butter sculptures include:

• 90th anniversary of the ice cream cone
• A bald eagle
• A Hasbro Tonka Truck
• A salute to the armed forces
• A tribute to Ohio’s dairy farmers
• A tribute to The Ohio State Buckeyes
• A tribute to the Olympics
• Darth Vader
• Dave Thomas of Wendy’s
• Furby
• Jack Nicklaus
• John Glenn
• Mr. Monopoly
• Neil Armstrong
• The Liberty Bell
• Columbus Bicentennial birthday cake
• A tribute to the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir
• A tribute to Ohio symbols
• A tribute to the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
• A salute to chocolate milk
• A tribute to the movie, A Christmas Story