The butter sculpture first appeared at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in 1991.

The sculpture of Benjamin Franklin was made of 600 pounds of butter on metal framework by Raymond Mackintosh of Ontario.

The butter was donated by Keller's Creamery of Harleysville. After the show, the butter was donated to local food banks.

Subsequent sculptures were:

1992: Sculpture Raymond Mackintosh in 1992 depicted then-reigning state Dairy Princess Robin Wilbur of LeRaysville, Lauren Daubert of Lock Haven and one of Daubert's Brown Swiss calves.

1993: The 1993 sculpture saluted the state's ice cream industry and was made by Raymond Mackintosh. It showed an old-fashioned ice cream vendor scooping ice cream into a cone, a boy licking an ice cream cone and a girl waiting for hers.

1994: Raymond Mackintosh's sculpture in 1994 depicted a University of Tennessee linebacker tackling Penn State wide receiver Bobby Engram just after the Nittany Lions defeated the Volunteers, 31-13.

1995: James Victor of Conshohocken in 1995 sculpted a scene of three World War II soldiers with a carton of rationed butter, cheese and other dairy products.

1996: Edward Shank sculpted former President Eisenhower bottle-feeding a calf. The former World War II general lived on his farm in Gettysburg after his presidency.

1997: Edward Shank celebrated the Amish with a sculpture in 1997 depicting an Amish boy and a cow.

1998: Edward Shank saluted school food service with a sculpture a school cafeteria worker serving lunch to a boy. The little boy originally was sculpted as a little girl. Shortly before the Farm Show opened that year, Shank discovered that the cafeteria woman had slid to the floor and the little girl fell on top of her. He spent 30 hours repairing the damage to both figures and changed the little girl into a boy, because he didn't have enough supplies to rebuild a skirt.

1999: In honor of Miss Commonwealth, Edward Shank re-created "the statue of the beautiful lady on top of the state Capitol."

2000: Edward Shank's sculpture showed two carrousel horses, two children and carrousel framework.

2001: The 2001 butter sculpture by Edward Shank depicted a farmers' market with the theme "Simply Delicious."

2002: The 2002 sculpture by Ed Shank of Swatara Township was dedicated to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. It included a firefighter, police officer and soldier with flags

2003: Jim Victor carved a cow butter sculpture in 2003.

2004: The 2004 butter sculpture by Jim Victor paid tribute to Milton Hershey.

2005: The 2005 butter sculpture by Jim Victor was called "Preserving the Pennsylvania Farm." It shows a girl bottle-feeding a calf.

2006: The 2006 butter sculpture by Jim Victor depicted the past and future of the dairy industry.

2007: The 2007 butter sculpture by Jim Victor depicted Ben Franklin and the Liberty Bell.

2008: The themes of the 2008 butter sculpture by Jim Victor were 'Discover Dairy' and 'Milk: It Does A Student Body Good!'

2009: The 2009 butter sculpture by Jim Victor was a tribute to the Pennsylvania National Guard. A Pennsylvania National Guard soldier salutes a farm family in the sculpture.

2010: The 2010 butter sculpture by Jim Victor paid tribute to dairy farm families.

2011: The 2011 butter sculpture depicted children playing and a farmer giving them some milk.

2012: The 2012 butter sculpture honored the 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania 4-H and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.

2013: The 2013 butter sculpture by Jim Victor of Conshohocken featured 'PA Preferred,' the official brand of agriculture products grown or made in Pennsylvania.

2014: The 2014 sculpture by Jim Victor showed a family enjoying milkshakes at the Farm Show.

2015: The 2015 sculpture by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton celebrated the 'Fill a Glass with Hope' campaign.

2016: The 2016 butter sculpture paid tribute to the event's 100th anniversary. It featured a FFA member exhibiting her dairy cow, a 4-H member with baby chicks and a lady and gentleman showing off blue ribbon apples and pies behind a quilt and spinning wheel. It was made by husband and wife, Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken in Montgomery County.

2017: The butter sculpture at the 2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show paid tribute to environmental stewardship. The sculpture depicts a landscape of a farm with a miniature barn, trees, hay bales and waterfall. It was made by husband and wife, Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken in Montgomery County.