Pronto Pup is an amusement park and carnival food similar to a corn dog made with flour mix, which is used by restaurants and street vendors across the United States. Named for the speed of the cooking process,[1] the Pronto Pup was invented in Rockaway Beach, Oregon, and is marketed as the original corn dog. The independently owned Rockaway Beach location was opened in 2016.
Pronto Pups are made with a type of pancake batter, whereas typical corn dogs use variations of cornbread batter, both of which contain cornmeal. The main difference is that corn dogs are sweet, while Pronto Pups are not.[2]
Today, the Pronto Pup brand reflects both the specific type of batter used for the first corn dogs and the shared brand name of restaurants who use the batter manufactured by The Pronto Pup Company based in Portland, Oregon. Outside of Oregon, where they were invented, Pronto Pups are a common food found in Grand Haven, Michigan and county fairs throughout Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. Some differ from the original by using a bratwurst instead of a hot dog as the sausage.