Since the Roaring '20s, the butter cow has been a integral part of the Illinois State Fair. The core ingredients remain much the same as they were when it first started – hundreds of pounds of butter, a salute to the state's dairy farmers and a touch of creamy creativity.

However, there's still a lot that people might not know about everyone's favorite creamy, salty bovine, which was officially unveiled Wednesday afternoon ahead of Thursday's opening of the fair.

Here's a refresher course on the world-famous Illinois State Fair Butter Cow:

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The Butter Cow made its first appearance in 1922, with J.D. Wallace as the sculptor of the first cow. Since then, the cow has been a favorite of so many at the fair for its unique appearance and celebration of the state's dairy industry.

Over a five-day process, sculptor Sarah Pratt places over 500-800 pounds of unsalted Prairie Farms butter – depending on whether she wants to cover the floor – over a frame of wire and wood. The cow is placed inside a refrigerated display case in the Dairy Building at the fairgrounds.

"For the last two butter cows, she has not put butter on the floor," said Kendra Anderson, manager of farmer relations with the Midwest Dairy Association. "This year, the floor has butter coverage, so there is more butter used. She used every pound (possible)."

Each year, the cow is designed in a way that exemplifies the theme of the fair.

The 2022 Illinois State Fair theme is "Grow With Us" and Pratt has designed a cow taking a bite out of a sunflower. Nearby is a farmer and a sunflower plant. As you would expect, everything in the case, from the farmer to the sunflowers, is made of recycled butter.

"Somehow, she always does a play on the state fair theme," Anderson said. "She was really excited to sculpt sunflowers, because that's part of the state fair logo. The cow having a sunflower in her mouth is a play on (them) being mischievous. They're very gentle creatures that can sometimes get themselves into trouble."

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Nope. The butter is used for 10 years. Then it is rotated out. It's good for sculpting, though.

"The older the butter, the easier it is to sculpt," Anderson said. "It's (also) more sustainable. Prairie Farms stores it in an ice cream plant for (the fair)."

No, as there are butter cows at state fairs in Iowa and Ohio, among others. Minnesota doesn't have a butter cow, but creates its own butter sculpture of the face of that year's winner of its princess contest, termed the Princess Kay of the Milky Way contest.