On this date in 1990, Tabatha, a Holstein cow from Minnesota, became a local celebrity starring in Kemps Ice Cream ads while continuing her daily life on the farm and promoting dairy education at public events.
Here’s the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Tabatha the cow milks stardom as focus of ads for ice cream
Rochester, Minn. (AP)—Tabatha, the treadmill-walking star of television commercials for Kemps Ice Cream, is getting rave reviews for her acting ability and personal appearances.
But away from the spotlight, Tabatha is just another hardworking cow. She’s a 5-year-old purebred Holstein who currently is milking about 90 pounds a day.
And her owner, Keith Brown, says Tabatha gets treated like any other cow in his herd near Hastings.
Tabatha charmed spectators last week at Calhoun Square in downtown Minneapolis, where she served as a model for a “Cows On The Beach” sand sculpture. Brown says it’s pretty hard not to like Tabatha and her easygoing style.
Her personality is one of the reasons Brown picked Tabatha as one of several possible candidates for Kemps’ ad campaign three years ago.
Tabatha has been busy ever since, starring in commercials and making public appearances at grocery stores and malls.
Stardom hasn’t gone to her head, Brown says.
When the off-farm work day is done, Brown leads Tabatha into a livestock trailer and back to the farm and in with the rest of her herd mates. When it’s an overnighter, Brown brings along a portable vacuum and Tabatha doesn’t miss a beat.
Brown uses the personal appearances to answer questions about dairy cows and the dairy industry. There are usually many questions in an urban area such as the Twin Cities, he says.
He had to field a question or two about animal rights during the Minneapolis appearance last week. He invited one person who was concerned about how cows and calves are treated in modern dairy operations to visit his farm.
