Eat’n Park Smiley Cookie wins ‘Coolest Thing Made in PA’ contest
BRINGING SMILES TO CHILDREN RIGHT AFTER DINNER. SOMETIMES A COOKIE IS MUCH MORE THAN A COOKIE. IT TAKES ON A PERSONALITY OF ITS OWN, A PERSONALITY TO MAKE YOU SMILE HAS EVOLVED FROM A COOKIE INTO AN ICON, AND HAS INSPIRED THEIR THEIR PURPOSE, WHICH IS TO CREATE A SMILE. IT STARTED IN 1986 WHEN EAT’N PARK STARTED GIVING OUT FREE COOKIES TO KIDS. THEN FOUR YEARS LATER, AN AD AGENCY SAW THAT COOKIE AND SPOTLIGHTED IT. THEY SHOWED HIM THE COOKIE AND IT WAS BIG AND FUN. AND HE SAID, THIS IS YOUR ICON. THIS IS THIS IS YOUR CRITTER. LET’S LET’S USE THIS. AND HE PUT IT EVERYWHERE. BUT IT WAS SO POPULAR, ADULTS WANTED TO BUY THEM TOO. SO MORE ICING WAS NEEDED TO CREATE EVEN MORE SMILES. THE SMILEY COOKIE IS SUCH A PIVOTAL PART OF THE EAT’N PARK EXPERIENCE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE GETS THAT SMILING COOKIE THAT IS SO RESEMBLANT OF EAT’N PARK AND EVERYTHING THAT THE SMILEY COOKIE MEANS TO PITTSBURGH. IT STARTED WITH THE FORMER CHAIRMAN, JIM BROADHURST, AND HIS FAVORITE CHILDHOOD COOKIE. HIS MOTHER WOULD GIVE HIM A NICKEL EVERY DAY SO THAT HE COULD GO INTO WERNER’S BAKERY AND BUY A ICED COOKIE, A SUGAR COOKIE HAD WHITE ICING ON IT, AND IN GREEN ICING, PAINTED A SMILEY FACE. AND JIM LOVED THAT COOKIE. SO WHEN LET’S GO FORWARD A FEW YEARS, WHEN WHEN JIM HAD DECIDED TO PUT BAKERIES INTO THE RESTAURANTS, HE REMEMBERED THAT COOKIE FROM HIS CHILDHOOD. SO HE SENT HIS STAFF TO WERNER’S BAKERY IN TITUSVILLE. THEY LEARNED HOW TO MAKE THE COOKIE AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE RESTAURANTS. AND HERE WE ARE, MANY MILLIONS OF COOKIES LATER. SOON, THE COOKIES EXPANDED. THERE WERE VARIOUS COLORS. THEN THERE WERE HOLIDAY VERSIONS. THEN FAMOUS PEOPLE LIKE PIRATES PITCHER PAUL SKENES, AND NOW YOU CAN EVEN ORDER CUSTOM SMILEY COOKIES FOR WEDDINGS OR EVENTS ON SMILEY COOKIE.COM. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT THESE, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT SMILE YOURSELF. ALL THESE COOKIES ARE SMILING RIGHT BACK AT YOU. LYNN MCMAHON LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON THE SMILEY COOKIE AS PART OF THE RESTAURANT’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY, SHE WROTE THE STORY BEHIND THE SMILE. IT’S A MARKETING MARVEL, REALLY, THAT THIS COOKIE HAS BECOME AN ICON AND HAS COME TO SYMBOLIZE SO MUCH THE THE FOCUS ON ON CREATING SMILES. BUT THE FOCUS ON PITTSBURGH AND THE COMMUNITY AND THAT’S THAT’S A COMMITMENT THAT EAT’N PARK TAKES VERY SERIOUSLY FROM CREATING SMILES FOR FOR GUESTS AND TEAM MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT SMILEY COOKIE HAS LED THE WAY. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS? I WOULD ARGUE THAT YOU ARE NEVER DONE PRACTICING. I WANTED TO SEE WHAT WAS INVOLVED IN DECORATING THAT ICONIC SMILE. COURTNEY COOK TOOK ME TO THE EAT’N PARK KITCHEN TO SHOW ME IT TAKES CONCENTRATION. YOU’RE GOING TO COME UP KIND OF AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE FROM YOUR NOSE, AND YOUR EYES SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THAN YOUR NOSE. PRECISION. WE’RE GOING TO START WITH THE LITTLE DIMPLES. AND THEN IT’S A BIG U-SHAPE WITH ANOTHER DIMPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE. AND STAMINA. START WITH YOUR LITTLE SLANT HERE, AND THEN DO A BIG SWOOP AND KIND OF LET THE ICING FALL, AND THEN DO YOUR DIMPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE. I THINK THAT’S PRETTY GOOD. SO NOW WE CAN JUST MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE AND KEEP KEEP PRACTICING. LOOKS AFRAID. BUT SHE REMINDED ME THAT EVEN IF MY SMILES AREN’T PERFECT, THE FEELING IT GIVES YOU INSIDE AND THAT’S THAT’S THE HEART OF THIS, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHERE THIS ALL STARTED. SO IN 1986, OUR FORMER CHAIRMAN, JIM, INTRODUCED THE COOKIES INTO THE RESTAURANTS. YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS. FOR THAT REASON, AT THE END OF THEIR MEAL THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. AND THAT REMAINS WHAT’S AT THE HEART OF SMILEY COOKIES TODAY. IT’S JUST SHARING THAT POSITIVITY, SHARING THAT SMILE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE’RE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR EVERY KID AFTER THEIR MEAL IS REALLY SPECIAL. THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE SMILEY COOKIE IS THAT IT HAS GROWN TO EXTEND BEYOND THE WALLS OF THE RESTAURANTS, RIGHT? IT IS A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. IT’S A PART OF OUR UPBRINGING. SO WE BECAUSE WE HAVE GROWN UP WITH THE SMILEY COOKI
Eat’n Park Smiley Cookie wins ‘Coolest Thing Made in PA’ contest
Updated: 10:57 AM EDT Apr 8, 2026
What’s the coolest thing made in Pennsylvania? You can find it right here in Pittsburgh.The Eat’n Park Smiley Cookie was voted the 2026 winner of “Coolest Thing Made in PA,” a bracket-style contest organized by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.Smiley Cookie won a close race, topping Shippensburg-based Denim Coffee by just 16 votes in the finals of the contest.The popular cookie was previously featured in “Chronicle: A Cookie Town” on WTAE Channel 4. (You can see that video above.)Over 40,000 votes were cast in this year’s competition, which featured 56 Pennsylvania-made products from locations throughout the commonwealth.Previous winners2025: Sheetz MTO2024: Primanti Bros. sandwich2023: Primanti Bros. sandwichDownload the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
What’s the coolest thing made in Pennsylvania? You can find it right here in Pittsburgh.
The Eat’n Park Smiley Cookie was voted the 2026 winner of “Coolest Thing Made in PA,” a bracket-style contest organized by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
Smiley Cookie won a close race, topping Shippensburg-based Denim Coffee by just 16 votes in the finals of the contest.
The popular cookie was previously featured in “Chronicle: A Cookie Town” on WTAE Channel 4. (You can see that video above.)
Over 40,000 votes were cast in this year’s competition, which featured 56 Pennsylvania-made products from locations throughout the commonwealth.
Previous winners
2025: Sheetz MTO2024: Primanti Bros. sandwich2023: Primanti Bros. sandwich
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.