Vintage Wisconsin: Alice In Dairyland, Wisconsin’s Queen

A new Alice in Dairyland was crowned this weekend. Alice is Wisconsin’s agricultural royalty.

She got her start in 1948 at the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition (she was preceded by the “Dairy Queen”). Margaret McGuire-Blott, pictured above, had the honor of being the first Alice.

Alice’s early years were a bit strange. For several seasons, a 10-foot tall mechanical Alice greeted guests at the State Fair (see sidebar). The real Alice sat backstage, working levers to make Big Alice sit and stand, and answering questions through a speaker in the doll’s mouth. Mechanical Alice apparently delighted rather than scared fairgoers, and she returned each year with a slight makeover. To make sure Big Alice looked like that year’s reigning woman, organizers changed the doll’s complexion, hair, and eye color.

Early Alices logged more than 150,000 miles a year. They went to Hollywood, rode in the Rose Parade, and danced with Lawrence Welk on TV.

Although Alice still wears a tiara, the Alice in Dairyland program has changed with the times. The first Alice was selected for her looks alone. The state’s centennial commission sent out a call for photographs and chose Blott from among the 500 submissions. Selecting Alice is far more complex today.

Candidates submit a resume, write essays, and give speeches. Fewer women apply for the job with this more rigorous process but it also helps to ensure that the candidates can handle the challenge of representing the range of Wisconsin agriculture.