Hot potato
By Kristen Hampshire

this Idaho museum gift shop takes taters to the next level with name-drop souvenirs and products that are uniquely Blackfoot County.

The world’s largest Pringles chip, a 60-pound bronze potato sculpture, vintage farming potato sorters and interactive tater video games are some of the fun things that can be found within the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, Idaho.


This roadside attraction celebrates the Idaho potato and Blackfoot County’s reputation as the potato capital of the world.


On average, the state grows one-third of the nation’s potato output annually, amounting to 13.5 billion pounds. “We have other produce like sugar beets, alfalfa and barley, and it’s interesting that we are one of the state’s largest producers of domestic trout,” adds Idaho Potato Museum Executive Director Tish Dahmen.


Idaho Potato Museum visitors might want a cozy hoodie for the region’s cool nights, and other customers might enjoy souvenir delicacies or cute potato plush.
Photos: Micha Wixom

But enough about barley and trout. This museum’s focus is on the starchy spuds that grow strong in Idaho because of its hot summer days and cool nights, driven by the altitude. Another helper is sandy, volcanic soil that promotes drainage and allows potatoes to form an oblong shape.


This road stop attracts about 45,000 visitors every year. Within the museum is the Spud Seller gift shop, which today is the museum’s primary source of revenue.



Q. How do Spud Seller’s souvenirs help visitors connect to museum experiences?

A. We look for ways to connect exhibits and features in the museum with souvenirs we sell at the shop. For example, in the museum there is a talking potato display where three large plushy potato bean bags serve as screens. An animated show about how potatoes are stored in cellars is projected onto them. In the gift shop, we sell plushies that look like our talking potatoes — Bud, Patty and Tater Tot.


Over time, we have personalized all of our magnets, T-shirts, sweatshirts and keychains to the Idaho Potato Museum and potatoes. We’ve customized everything from earrings and beaded bracelets with fun names like Spud Kid and Tater Tot to stickers. If a design works well on a postcard, we can roll it out on a T-shirt, mug and magnet. Locally, we work with Pinnacle and Idea Man on these products, and we deal with larger distributors like Great Mountain West and Smith-Southwestern.



Q. What are some surprising potato souvenirs visitors can find at the Spud Seller?

A. We offer potato soap and lotion made from coconut oil, olive oil and potato starch, which is an additive. When you cook with potato starch to make gravy it acts as a binding agent, and I have women who come in just for this product for their cracked hands and heels.


The Idaho Spud candy bar is oblong like a potato and has been around since 1918. [That candy bar] has a cocoa-marshmallow center covered with chocolate and sprinkled with coconut. There’s no potato in it but customers were asking for it, so we had it made for us by Weiser Classic Candy.



Q. How has the museum shop expanded its offerings since its opening decades ago?

Quirky souvenir mugs featuring an Idaho baked potato are among the fun mementos.

A. We offer all things Idaho, potato and Idaho Potato Museum, from cookie cutters and collector coins to snow globes, ornaments, golf balls, spoons, recipe books, coloring books, playing cards, posters, spices and potato mixes to make pancakes, soup, muffins and bread. Kids love our hand-held Idaho Potato Museum plushie, and postcards are really popular.


We have grown from a ‘trial’ museum in 1988 with 2,000 attendees to a destination for school field trips and travelers.


Locals are proud to bring their guests here to show off their town and state.