Tom Thumb Donut Machine, MN State Fair, St. Paul, Minnesota, August 2008, all photos © 2008-2009 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
No one leaves the Minnesota State Fair without a bag of Tom Thumb Donuts. I’ve gone a whole day, been dead on my feet, and made the trek back to the Tom Thumb stand to grab a 500 calorie bag of melt-in-your-mouth mini-donuts to eat on the long walk to the car.
I’m also mesmerized by the mini-donut making machine. It was invented in 1947 at the Ryan Aeronautical Company in California by a group of engineers who were sitting idle after the war. That year, they started greasing the wheel and each machine splashes out 90 deep-fried donuts per minute.
Tom Thumb Donuts was established a few years later in 1949. Do you know how Tom Thumb Donuts made it to the Minnesota State Fair?
According to a Chippewa Herald article by writer Tom Arneberg, John Desmond and his wife Janet brought Tom Thumb Donuts to the Minnesota State Fair in 1952. Then two boys in Desmond’s Minneapolis neighborhood, Ted Boecher and John Hanson, grew up working at the stand and took it over after John Desmond’s death.
Sadly, a few years later, Hanson died of a heart attack right in the main Tom Thumb booth next to Ye Olde Mill, leaving Ted Boecher to manage the stand.
Through 6 degrees of separation (and the framing of a Tom Thumb Donut bag kept in his kitchen), Tom Arneberg met manager Ted Boecher and he and his family were given a personal guided tour through the whole mini-donut making operation. Arneberg, a community columnist for the Chippewa Herald, wrote a piece in which he describes the whole experience, including his love for the Minnesota State Fair.
I found Arneberg’s column when researching the history of Tom Thumb Donuts to go with these photographs. You’ve got to read it to find out his personal best for bags of Tom Thumb Donuts eaten in one trip to the Minnesota State Fair!
What’s your personal best for your favorite State Fair food?
To jog your memory, this year’s whole list of Minnesota State Fair foods on-a-stick and a link to the FoodFinder (along with past State Fair posts) can be found at our annual red Ravine State Fair post MN State Fair On-A-Stick (Princesses & Butter Queens). We’ll be at the Fair this Friday. Maybe we’ll see you there!
Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds You, Tom Thumb –
Light As A Feather, MN State Fair, St. Paul,
Minnesota, August 2008, all photos © 2008-2009
by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
-posted on red Ravine, Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
-related to post: WRITING TOPIC – BAND-AIDS® & OTHER 1920’s INVENTIONS, the velveeta cheese of donuts haiku, Two Degrees Of Celebrity Sighting
Very cool! I loved reading about the mini donut history & I would so frame the bag too if I had one! They are so darn cute! And funny, cause I have been thinking about making donuts (made peanut butter cookies instead). Hope you have a great day at the fair! (I suppose you’re still packing the backpack!) D
LikeLike
I met a 15-year old boy a few days ago who has his first job: he bags mini-donuts at the fair. He is supposed to put 16 donuts in each bag. He admitted with a little grin that sometimes he gets tired of counting, and just puts some in a bag.
He was so chubby and adorable and friendly I couldn’t be mad at him.
LikeLike
diddy, I didn’t know you made your own donuts (?). How do you do it? Do you deep fry them somehow. And where did you get the recipe? Curious as heck here.
I do take a lot to the MN State Fair in my backpack, as evidenced by this post last year: On-The-Go List Of Must-Haves (MN State Fair) (LINK). You’ve got a good memory!
I have to tell you though, Liz went to the Fair on Opening Day with just one tiny purse and her camera. No backpack. I don’t even think she took a jacket. And she was there until after the Bonnie Raitt concert. Can you believe it?
I like to be prepared though. Because I’m not a fan of big crowds, the more comfortable I can make myself, the better! I also don’t like to get soaked to the bone if it rains.
We’ll be there this Friday and I will probably pack a pretty good sized pack. You’re right — I’d better start packing now!
LikeLike
Teri, what a sweet story about the boy who bags mini-donuts. I wouldn’t get mad at him either. Just imagine how many of those little hot donuts he has to bag during the 12 days of the MN State Fair!
I wonder if anyone who works there has ever counted how many donuts they bag in a day. I did read in a Star Tribune article a few years ago that an average of 300,000 dozen Tom Thumb donuts are sold at Tom Thumb and other stands each year – 1 bag for 1 out of every 5 fairgoers. It’s probably even more today!
That’s got to be a hot and greasy job. Last year the guy behind the counter actually wanted to pose for me. He was quite friendly and really seemed to like his job selling Tom Thumb donuts.
LikeLike
QM, I have never made my own donuts, though my Mom always made them when I was growing up. The only thing I ever did was shake them up in the sugar filled paper bag!
However, I recently saw a FoodNetwork show in which the host made donuts from bisquits in those round tubes from the grocery store. It looked pretty simple & hers were glazed after frying. I’ll let you know if I ever try making them!
The donut maker in this post is just amazing!1949! Wow!
Who thinks of these things? Is it like “Well, the war is over, so let’s make a donut machine!”
Hey, if you do get a bag, do you think you could save the bag for me?
And yes, I remember last year’s backpacking post! But, knowing you, I can see where you would be very prepared. You have that Girl Scout way about you!
Love Terri’s story of the boy bagging the donuts! I’d stop counting too! D
LikeLike
I like that these are so small. As a diabetic, I really should not eat sugary stuff but once in a while, if it’s a special treat, I’ll consider it if it’s small like this. I would only eat one. I’ve learned to limit myself when I do indulge in something like this.
Darn it! Now you have me craving a sweet like this one!
LikeLike
Part of the reason I liked the chubby, sweet, innocent, adorable donut-bagger was that he used the word “tedious” to describe counting 16 donuts over and over and over. Not “dumb” “boring” “stupid” or “lame.”
“Tedious” is a pretty good vocab word for a 15-year-old.
LikeLike
Does anyone remember the Robert McCloskey book called Homer Price? It was written in the 1960’s, and in one episode, Homer has a tremendous mishap with a donut making machine and a diamond bracelet.
It was made into a children’s movie, and I used to show it to my students. Though it was terribly dated, they loved it. The mountains and mountains of “accidentally” produced donuts appealed to 5th graders. Well, and me, too.
LikeLike
It’s official: I miss Minnesota . . .
LikeLike
Ha ha, that’s says so much, Brian, about the power of Tom Thumbs.
Hey, QM, I have seen Tom Thumbs and the little donut machine at the NM State Fair. I wonder if they franchise out the donut maker and brand. I’ve never had them, though.
My personal best…it’s not very impressive in hindsight but it sure seemed so at the time: a roasted ear of corn on-a-stick, an Indian taco, and a piece of Asbury pie.
LikeLike
lol, Brian, I can see why. We’ll eat a few Tom Thumb Donuts when we are at the Fair tomorrow. I can’t wait for all that fun food.
BTW, Liz and I watched WCCO News from the MN State Fair last night and they featured Ward Hall and the Midway’s World of Wonders. World of Wonders is what would have been called a “Freak Show” in the past.
They showed video of champion sword swallower John Stewart, Poo Ba the 79-years-old fire eater, and Natalie Zarrelli swinging a lunch pale that weighs 15 pounds by her tongue (I couldn’t watch that one).
Here’s a link to the story Step Right Up To The ‘World Of Wonders’ (LINK). They were quick to point out that all of the people who participate now enjoy what they do and are there voluntarily (though that may not have been the case decades ago).
Hall said this is the last traveling side show in the country and doubts they will be around 50 years from now. It made us wonder if we should stop by and take a look. I’ve never been to one before. Does anyone else ever remember seeing these shows in their childhood?
LikeLike
ybonesy, lol, I got a chuckle out of your personal best for Fair food eating. A lot of Minnesotans might have the same chuckle since we all tend to eat our way through the MN State Fair!
I have to have at least 2 kinds of corn dogs. And something sweet, not sure what yet. I’ll keep you posted on my personal best tomorrow when we head out to the Fair.
I do think Tom Thumb franchises out their brand of mini-donuts. I thought I read that they were at the Iowa State Fair, too. The mini-donut maker might be available to all donut vendors though. I’m not exactly sure who has the patent on it. Would be interesting to know though.
LikeLike
Teri, I had never heard of the book Homer Price with the donuts and the diamond bracelet. Really curious now!
Corina, I imagine the State Fair would be a nightmare for diabetics. There are some healthy foods there, and I think I posted a link about them in the Princesses & Butter Queens Comments section, but, boy, Fair Food is mostly about things that are not that good for the body.
Luckily there are tons of other things to do there besides eat. Teri mentioned last night that she was at the Arts Building checking out the art. We’ll be doing that, too, though it’s usually insanely crowded and hot in there!
diddy, the FoodNetwork show with the donuts from biscuits in those round tubes from the grocery store sounds interesting. Let us know if you end up making those. I’m curious how they will come out.
It is wild to think about the engineers sitting around after the war and working on a donut machine. I wonder if it was fun for them?
I’ll try to remember to ask for an extra bag at the Tom Thumb counter. I imagine if I save my bag for you, it might be a little greasy! I like the logo and the shade of red of the bag though. Can totally see why Tom Arneberg wanted to frame his.
LikeLike
Hey! Have a great time tomorrow! If you get a bag fine, if not, no worries. I liked the idea of framing it for the kitchen.
You asked if anyone remembers “Freak Shows”. Our County fair in W-PA had them when I was young. Of course, my parents would never allow us to see them, for which I am grateful, but the curiosity was always there. I remember it cost a quarter to go into the area where they were. It was behind a curtained area. Oh, & there was also an adult show, which always had a line of what I thought were very brave men waiting to get in. I mean, everyone knew everyone then…
I’ll check out your link later. Sounds interesting, but kinda creepy.
I will try the donuts this week-end when Brant will be here. I’ll let you know how they turn out. D
LikeLike
I’ve never been to a state fair…I went to a county fair once, and really liked it. Walked all over looking for a deep fried candy bar, but they didn’t have any. What a rip off. 😉
Those donuts look truly delicious.
LikeLike
[…] and I are eating 8 leftover Tom Thumb Donuts as I type and trying to recall what else we had to eat last Friday. We split a Flowering Onion four […]
LikeLike
J, thanks for stopping by. What? No deep-fried candy bars at the Fair you were at? Seems strange. The Tom Thumbs were great. We even brought a few leftovers home with us and reheated them last weekend!
__________
diddy, we never made it to the World of Wonders. Thought about it but didn’t go. I really don’t think it will be around much longer either. Times change and people change. I wonder if there is so much online now that people can see that something like World of Wonders doesn’t draw the same kinds of crowds it used to. All those reality shows and Extreme sports may have swept the public’s appetite in a different direction.
Oh, and diddy, I did save the Tom Thumb bag for you! We asked them for a new one but they wouldn’t give them out. They did give us an O-Boy donut bag but I have no idea what the history is with the O-Boy Mini-Donuts. It says they are from Stillwater. Anyone know?
LikeLike
QM, thanks so much for remembering me! Any decision on your visit yet? D
LikeLike
diddy, I’ll be able to deliver your Tom Thumb bags in person — I’ll be flying in October 17th. R3’s picking me up for the ride to Mom’s. Mom and I are heading Down South again to do some more family tree work. So I’ll have a few days on either end in Pennsylvania. I’ll keep you posted as it gets closer! Thanks for asking. Looking forward to seeing all of you. Seems like a long time. But I guess it’s only been a little over a year. Whew, how time flies.
LikeLike
Good news! Can’t wait to see you! That’s great that you & Mom are heading to the south. I’ll bet she’s thrilled! We didn’t go to Daddy’s wedding. Just no way we could do the long trip, though we really wanted to be there. It was a tough decision.
LikeLike
diddy, we are looking forward to heading to Georgia and South Carolina again. We’ve had the date planned for a while. Wasn’t sure if I’d be able to go but then plane tickets really dropped which created an opening for this time period.
I’m excited for the trip. It’s coming up fast. Can’t believe how quickly the Summer went. Saw some great photos from the wedding that R3 posted. Glad he and GritsInPA were able to make it down. It can be a long drive if done in one trip without an overnight.
LikeLike
[…] The Minnesota State Fair kicked off this week and it’s time for our annual State Fair post on red Ravine. We’ve covered a lot of history over the years, including the debut of Peach Glazed Pig Cheeks On-A-Stick, the fine art of Princess Kay of the Milky Way (and the Butter Queens), Minnesota State Fair poster artists, the history of Fairborne and Fairchild, and the tradition of Tom Thumb Donuts. […]
LikeLike
[…] Of Letter Writing (Postcards From The Edge)MN State Fair On-A-Stick (Princesses & Butter Queens)Tom Thumb Donuts — Reinventing The WheelSouthern Scratch Biscuits (Closest Thing To Home)The Raw Story: Elizabeth Gilbert In Albuquerque On […]
LikeLike
I missed buying Tom Thumb donuts yesterday at the MN State Fair. We passed them twice and I was just too darned full. Maybe I’ll have to go back to the Fair later this week!
LikeLike
[…] butter); Minnesota State Fair poster artists; mascots Fairborne and Fairchild; and the tradition of Tom Thumb Donuts. To change it up this year, I’m going to focus on the integration of the Smartphone and […]
LikeLike
Teri, (my reply is three years late)!
Thanks for mentioning “The Doughnuts” movie. I never knew that a movie existed! I have always been interested in doughnut machines, and I’m glad that I found this blog on the interwebs.
The Homer Price book by Robert McCloskey was the very first book that I EVER read cover to cover, (and then wrote a book report about it in third grade).
I found the movie on YouTube, (it’s in three parts)!
LikeLike
Best donuts ever use to watch the machine at the Ohio state fair now someone has imitation stand don’t go no more just because of tom thumb.would like to franchise or open up stand
LikeLike