United States, 1942 – Food historians generally agree cornmeal-covered hot dogs served on a stick became popular American fair fare in the early 1940s. Who invented this item? History does not say. Who is responsible for making this item popular? Many people claim this title. Most often cited are the Fletcher brothers (Corn dogs in Texas) and Jack Karnis (Pronto Pups in Oregon and Minnesota). The records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirm Pronto Pups were introduced 1942. According to the food historians, this is about the same time Corn Dogs made their way to the Texas State Fair.
The earliest reference we find for something resembling corn dogs comes from the 1920s. According to the description of the Krusty Korn Dog Baker (circa 1929), the first corn dogs were not deep-fried hot oil, they were made like waffles in the KrustyKorn Dog Baker machine found in many restaurant supply catalogues of that era.
An article from the New York Times states "There are "corn dog" stands...on the docks at St. Petersburg, Florida”, dated December 7, 1941 (If that date sounds familiar, it is because it was the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor!). Presumably this indicates corn-dog type foods were well known in vacation areas. The use of quotation marks around the term "corn dogs" indicates this was the generic name for the product rather than a trademark.
The Oregon version of the story: “Jack Karnis was the first person to buy a Pronto Pup franchise. Invented in an Oregon lumber camp, the recipe for the batter-coated hot dog was an instant hit when Jack and his wife, Gladys, took them to Chicago. Jack was selling them on a Chicago street when an alert Minnesota entrepreneur saw the line and got in, figuring that people would wait only for something good.”
The Texas Version of the story: “Neil and Carl Fletcher come up with a new fast food product -- corny dogs -- which they offer to the public for the first time during the summer midway operation. Since its introduction at the Texas State Fair in Dallas in 1938, the corndog -- a hot dog dipped in corn meal then fried up to a golden brown-- has become a favorite American fast-food.”
Who’s right? Who knows! Just eat the “dog-gone” things!