Red Dot Potato Chips Cardboard Boxes featuring Ta-to The Clown

Historical Cardboard Boxes with Stories as Interesting as Their Contents

I am finding that some of the cardboard boxes that are in the tavern are proving to be unexpected windows into history.  So for your reading pleasure, here is what I learned out about what was once a Madison, WI based potato chip company, complete with a creepy clown mascot.

Red Dot Potato Chips and Ta-to the Clown

The first thing I noticed when I found these boxes were that they had my dad's name on them.  Once I got past that and all the cool things that were stored inside them, I was then drawn to the brand of potato chips I had never heard of along with its eye-catching clown.  I wanted to find out more.

The Company's Mascot - Ta-to (rhymes with potato) the Clown

Were clowns not considered creepy back then?

A quick google search revealed an interesting story of an entrepreneur with a tragic ending from right here in Madison, WI.

I encourage you to check out this interesting article about the history of Red Dot Foods from the Wisconsin Historical Society's website:  https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2611

I will summarize for those short on time.

Red Dot branded snack foods were popular in the Midwest during the 1940s and 1950s with the potato chips being their most popular item.  The company was founded in 1938 by Frederick J. Meyer who lived in Madison, WI.  Packaged snack foods at this time were in their infancy and it sounds like he got into the the business at the most opportune time.  As the potato chip demand grew, he transitioned to manufacturing and selling his own chips with a factory in downtown Madison, WI.  It blossomed into 7 more factories in Wisconsin, 80+ warehouses and the purchasing of potato farms in the Northern part of the state.

Former Red Dot Factory - 1435 East Washington Ave, Madison, WI

A Big Name Merger and a Tragic Ending

In 1961, with Red Dot Foods at its peak, Meyer decided to merge with H.W. Lay & Company out of Atlanta, GA.  Now that company I've heard of.  Four days after the merger was finalized, Meyer committed suicide using a shot gun in his home in Maple Bluff.  

Soon after that, Lays merged with Frito, becoming Frito-Lay. They sold the Red Dot brand in 1970 and the Madison factory closed for good in 1973.

Farewell Ta-to!

Sources:  Wisconsin Historical Society, Google Maps, HistoricMadison.org