The History of Pink Donut Boxes

Pink donut boxes have become an icon, especially in Los Angeles. But while they may feel fancy to consumers, bubblegum pink donut boxes actually came from the need to keep costs low. Los Angeles donut shops are typically small, independent operations owned by Cambodian-Americans, who began opening the shops in the U.S. after fleeing the Pol Pot regime. The pink donut box reportedly first appeared in the 1980s, when Cambodian refugees like Ted Ngoy of Christy’s Donuts were either starting or expanding their shops. The immigrant owners of these fledgling donut shops wanted to find boxes that were cheaper than the plain white boxes that the big chains used. A company called Westco began supplying them with more affordable boxes made from leftover pink cardboard stock. Known as the 9-9-4 within the industry, these pink boxes could be produced more cheaply than the white boxes and still fit a dozen donuts perfectly. This made them very popular among Cambodian donut shop owners in Los Angeles. Eventually, the boxes became so ubiquitous that they are now closely associated with the city and have become an icon in their own right, similar to how Anthora coffee cups are emblematic of New York. Not only are they popular at L.A. donut shops, but the highly recognizable pink boxes also frequently appear in movies and TV shows, which has made them increasingly recognizable even outside of Los Angeles. In the age of Instagram marketing, the bubblegum pink boxes have become sought-after as a way to offer a certain aesthetic appeal. The color also works well for packaging donuts because it’s evocative of things like sugar, sweetness, and childhood. However, the boxes got their start because Cambodian-American shop proprietors in L.A. needed to save all the money they could while starting their donut businesses! Today, pink donut boxes remain a fixture in Los Angeles and are still used at these beloved Cambodian-American shops; they have also become popular in other parts of the country and in certain other parts of the world, too.