Butter sculptures we can’t forget: 10 memorable butter masterpieces at NYS Fair (photos)

The New York State Fair butter sculpture is a weird and wonderful tradition that began in 1969, and has continued every year since. (Even the covid year! The butter people wore masks.)

This isn’t a review of the best or worst sculptures in NYS Fair history. We’re no art critics. But every year before the annual butter sculpture is revealed, we talk about the same ones over and over. We remember the biggest ones, the strangest ones, the most elaborate, and the ones invoking pop culture.

For “butter” or worse, these state fair masterpieces stand the test of time in our minds.

The 2022 butter sculpture at the New York State Fair. "Refuel Her Greatness--Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX" (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

“Refuel Her Greatness—Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX” by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton (2022)

Charlie: This one was great. You have a lacrosse player, a gymnast, a runner, a skier, a wide range of athletes. The details are impressive. What’s more, they’re celebrating chocolate milk!

Katrina: Have you ever seen the horror movie “Midsommar?” I remember seeing this sculpture and thinking the athletes were dancing around the giant chocolate milk bottle. Like a menacing milk ritual. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. You can worship milk; it’s a free country.

This year’s theme is “Milk, Love What’s Real." This was the 2019 New York State Fair Butter Sculpture. (Michael Greenlar)

“Milk, Love What’s Real” by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton (2019)

Charlie: It’s a touching moment. On one side, we see a sweet young couple sharing their milkshake, with a giant butter heart backdrop. On the other side of the heart, you’ve got a couple of kids enjoying milk and cookies. It’s two relatable scenes in one really big stick of butter.

The 2011 butter sculpture was a tribute to the men and women who serve nutritious meals in school cafeterias. Sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton went into the display case to take some pictures. (David Lassman / The Post-Standard)

“Feeding Our Future” by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton (2011)

The 2011 butter sculpture was a tribute to the men and women who serve nutritious meals in school cafeterias. It features three kids in line and a cafeteria worker.

Charlie: This resonates because it’s a scene we all remember from growing up.

Katrina: Unless you’re home-schooled.

State Fair '86, Darryl Strawberry butter sculpture in Dairy Building (Syracuse Post-Standard)

“Darryl Strawberry Bats for Milk” by William Clements (1986)

Katrina: It’s cool that sculptor William Clements picked a well-known New York athlete to feature. The sculpture is simple — just Darryl and a catcher. But the texture is smooth and their butter bodies are muscular and impressively lifelike. The action scene captures the movement of a home run on the field. Clements knocked this one outta the park.

The 34th NYS Fair butter sculpture was titled "Pride of New York." Sculptor Sharon BuMann, New York State director of agriculture Kim Blot and state fair director Peter Cappuccilli get a close up look inside the refrigerated display case. (Photo by David Lassman, 2002)

“The Pride of New York” by Sharon BuMann (2002)

Katrina: Syracuse sculptor Sharon BuMann included lots of real pies and vegetables in this display, which Charlie thinks should be against the rules. I don’t mind it. But it’s odd she sculpted a few butter cabbages, then added a bunch of real veggies, like she ran out of time or something.

Charlie: I don’t think using real produce should be allowed. You should have to use all butter for everything in the sculpture. After all, this artwork is displayed in the Dairy Building, not the Produce Pavilion.

State Fair director Peter Cappuccilli, sculptor Sharon BuMann of Central Square, and Denise Blaisure talk about the butter sculpture, which BuMann created from an idea submitted by Blaisure. The work entitled "Milk Maid: Queen For a Day" shows a mother bathing in a tub of milk her children have prepared for her. Al Campanie, Aug. 22, 2001

“Milk Maid: Queen for a Day” by Sharon BuMann (2001)

Katrina: OK, this sculpture always stood out to me as memorable, purely because it’s so bizarre. A mother bathes in a tub of milk poured by her children. She wears a crown and looks pained, not relaxed. Probably because her dumb butter kids are bothering her while she’s trying to enjoy a bath.

Charlie: This one’s just weird. Who bathes in milk? Wasteful, honestly. And the flower vase? That’s another violation. If you’re going to make a butter sculpture, every part of it should be butter.

Artist Sharon BuMann of Central Square works on the finishing touches of the 1999 State Fair Butter Sculpture at the fairgrounds. The sculpture idea titled "Midnight Snacking" was submitted by Barbara Allen of Baldwinsville. (Al Campanie, 8/25/99)

“Midnight Snacking” by Sharon BuMann (1999)

Sharon BuMann made a huge butter refrigerator and stocked it with milk bottles, but used dye to make the bottles pink and brown, for regular, chocolate and strawberry milk.

Katrina: It sticks with the dairy theme nicely, and the sheer height of fridge next to Sharon gives this one its wow factor. The drippy butter “ice” in the freezer is a nice touch.

Charlie: I appreciate that the sculptor used the leftover butter to create a mess of milk bottles on the floor. No one’s crying over that spilled milk. Brilliant!

Sculptor Raymond Macintosh stands with the butter sculpture at the New York State Fair. Photo by C.W. McKeen - NYS Fair Butter Sculptures File photos

“Pizza Tosser” by Raymond Mackintosh (1994)

Charlie: This one’s cool because it celebrates New York State dairy producers and also New York State pizza makers, who never get any recognition.

Katrina: Sure Charlie, we never write about pizza makers in the newspaper. (For all Charlie’s pizza coverage, check out his weekly CNY Pizza Tour visiting a different pizza joint every week in 2024. So yeah, we never write about pizza makers.)

Charlie: Yeah, whatever, Katrina.

The 1989 butter sculpture celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz: tinman, lion and scarecrow. (Stephen D. Cannerelli)

“Wizard of Oz” by Raymond Mackintosh (1989)

Katrina: It’s cool to have “Wizard of Oz” characters featured in a butter sculpture, especially because “The Wizard of Oz” author L. Frank Baum was born right here in Chittenango, and CNY still celebrates his legacy with the Oz-Stravaganza! festival each year. But...Charlie and I disagree on this.

Charlie: You’re darn right we disagree, Katrina. I’ll tell you what the problem is. We’ve got a tin man, scarecrow and lion, but no Dorothy? It’s sexist. Geez, why not add Toto and the wizard while we’re at it?

The 1988 butter sculpture at New York State Fair. Photo by David Lassman.

“Cow Jumping Over the Moon” by Raymond Mackintosh (1988)

Katrina: The cow jumping over the moon is just one of those classic scenes from storybooks. Other sculptors replicated this idea over the years, but I think the 1988 version was the best one. The crescent butter moon is huge, smooth and tall, and these playful cows defy gravity. Excellent and timeless.

Charlie: I agree, it was a good one. But I liked the version 20 years later by the couple that did this year’s butter figure. The 1988 “Hey Diddle Diddle” had a cow jumping over what looked like a giant moonpie. Mmmmm, moonpie.