Places to Eat

Did You Know the Corn Dog was Invented at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas?

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Fletcher’s Corny Dogs is the first stop for nearly everyone who attends the State Fair of Texas, but did you know the iconic battered and fried wienie on a stick had its roots in Vaudeville? In fact, the corn dog was invented right here in Texas.

The Fletcher brothers invented the State Fair’s most famous fried treat after enjoying long careers as Vaudevillians. Carl and Neil Fletcher performed in a show called “The Drunkard” for several years at the State Fair of Texas, toward the end of their show business careers.

Fletcher’s Fair Booth Opens in 1942

Did You Know the Corn Dog was Invented at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas?

Photo: Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs

In 1938, as the brothers plotted their next career move, Carl was offered an opportunity to operate a food booth at the fair. This gave the Fletchers a chance to experiment with trying something new for fairgoers. They hoped to fill the void they had noticed in types of cuisine available at the fair.

They found a local baker on Oak Lawn who served hot dogs baked in cornmeal and shaped like an ear of corn. The hot dogs had a good flavor, but the baker’s process was complicated and quite time consuming. The Fletchers experimented with the recipe, and they found frying the battered hot dog cut the cooking time considerably. It also turned the hot dog into something customers could take with them, a mobile food on a stick.

Did You Know the Corn Dog was Invented at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas?

Photo: Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs

The brothers started selling their new creation for 15 cents from their small stand. The new dog on a stick wasn’t very successful at first. No one quite knew what to make of it, so the Fletchers cut them in half and gave away samples. They tried out several names, such as Meal on a Stick and Brown Bomber, before deciding on Fletcher’s Corny Dogs.

They spent the next twelve years working to perfect Fletcher’s Corny Dogs’ unique batter, and it hasn’t changed since then. The secret to the iconic State Fair favorite is more than the batter, we’re told. It has to do with water temperature, plus how the batter is mixed. Other than those tips, the corn dog recipe remains a closely-held family secret.

Fletcher’s Family Tradition

Did You Know the Corn Dog was Invented at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas?

Photo: Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs

Neil Fletcher Sr. passed away in 1988, and he left the business to his sons, Neil and Bill Fletcher. Neil Fletcher Jr. (aka Skip “The Corny Dog King”) operated Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs for nearly 40 years. His brother Bill worked closely with him. Neil Jr. introduced such innovations as the Jalapeno and Cheese Corny Dog in 2004. Next came the Bird Dog in 2011.

The next generation of Fletchers continued innovations. Skip’s daughter, Amber, introduced the Veggie Dog in 2015, while his youngest son, Aaron, brought the Cheezy Pup in 2018. The variety of corny dogs keeps expanding, but the corn dog batter will never change. Bill Fletcher said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and it sure as hell wasn’t broke when my brother and I took it over.”

Skip died in 2017, and the Fletcher company is now owned and operated by other family members. They are his wife GG, his two children, his brother Bill Fletcher, and son W.C. with wife Rebecca. Many other members of the Fletcher family, including children, cousins, and grandchildren, work the concessions trailers. The rest of us can rejoice that Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs is a tradition build to last!

Do you love corn dogs as much as we do? Are they your favorite fair food every year? Let us know!