16 Hilarious And Bizarre ’50s And ’60s Pageants That Simply Boggle The Mind!

One of my favorite scenes from The Golden Girls involves Betty White’s character, Rose, lamenting how she never won the coveted title of “Butter Queen” when she was a teen in her fictional Midwestern hometown of St. Olaf. The description of the beauty pageant sounds ridiculous. It involved a trivia section with a trick question about margarine and a churning competition — and inevitable churning scandal. Although this particular beauty contest never actually existed, during the 1950s and ’60s, the world of pageantry boasted plenty of strange beauty competitions in which local ladies brimming with old Hollywood glamour vied for the title of their hometown’s highest honor. Yet, an offbeat beauty pageant wasn’t just a small-town thing during this era. There were also businesses, like the Zion Meat Company, and even government agencies, like the National Security Agency, that rated women willing to compete on their beauty, poise, and that certain je ne sais quoi that paired perfectly with something as random as potatoes… 1. This woman was crowned ‘Sausage Queen’ in a 1955 beauty contest sponsored by the Zion Meat Company during National Hot Dog Week! 2. Gail Hooper was photographed holding a 56-pound catfish when she was 18, after she was crowned Miss National Catfish Queen in 1954. 3. These lovely ladies competed for Miss Correct Posture in 1956. 4. She was crowned ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ in 1957! 5. At the age of 19, Joy Harman, was crowned ‘NYC Donut Queen,’ at the 1957 USO. 6. The West Side Fur Company sponsored this beauty pageant in 1960 and Julie Meade won the title of ‘Mink Queen.’ 7. In 1955, ‘Blueberry Queen’ posed in a tub full of blueberries while staying at Hotel Roosevelt. 8. Perhaps in one of the most bizarre beauty pageants, Cindy Carol became ‘Queen of the Anti-Triskaidekaphobia,’ which means ‘fear of 13.’ 9. Sunny Austin, a 21-year-old woman, posed with a lamb and a toucan after she was named “Queen of the Pet Festival” in 1964. 10. The Wool Bureau and National Knitted Outerwear Foundation crowned Jeanne Davis of Alabama the 1952 “Sweater Queen.” 11. In 1954, this beauty queen won the title of ‘Miss Magic Marker’! Hence, the two MM’s written on her chest! 12. In 1967, Darlene Larson was named ‘Outdoor Health Queen’! 13. Eva Sloan, won “Queen of the Village” (Greenwich Village, that is), in 1962 at the age of 22. 14. Paula Wayne won the title of ‘May Wine Queen’ in 1965. Cheers! 15. Jacqueline Petite was crowned ‘Queen of the Circus’ in 1959 at Pasilades Park. 16. Kathleen Townsend was crowned ‘Laugh Queen’ in 1961, a pageant dedicated to help promote a national sense of humor! Credits: Providr Share this story on Facebook with your friends. Related: Bizarre Things That Happened On The Set Of The Wizard Of Oz 11 Bizarre Home Remedies Our Grandparents Used That Actually Work!