Udderly fantastic: Illinois unveils 2025 butter cow

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — You herd it right: The unofficial icon of the Illinois State Fair was unveiled on Wednesday.

Governor JB Pritzker, along with Illinois State Fair officials, gathered at the fairground’s Dairy Building to unveil the 2025 Butter Cow.

The sculpture takes about five days to create and is made up of 500 pounds of unsalted butter. Pritzker said the design was inspired by the fair’s theme: adventure awaits. This year’s companion sculpture is an adventurer.

This is the 104th butter cow at the State Fair and the ninth consecutive butter cow designed and sculpted by Sarah Pratt.

“We’re unveiling it, of course, at a moment when I think we all recognize how important it is this summer, that people enjoy themselves, and it’s a great way to kick off our summer state fair,” Pritzker said at a news conference, before the butter cow was unveiled. “Illinois, you know, is an agricultural powerhouse state. We truly are. We also are a state that has a real artistic spirit. And the unveiling of the butter cow sort of represents both of those things.”

The 2025 Illinois State Fair kicks off Aug. 7 and runs through Aug. 17 in Springfield. The butter cow can be found on the fairgrounds in the Dairy Building.

MK Pritzker, First Lady, Jerry Costello II, IDOA Director, Rebecca Clark, State Fair Manager and Johnna Fulcher, Miss Illinois County Fair Queen joined Pritzker in welcoming this year’s butter cow.