Just A Moment – "The Birth of Munchkin Mania"

Host: Brant Menswar
Date: January 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brant Menswar explores how a single, seemingly small act of curiosity and resourcefulness led to the creation of Dunkin’s wildly popular “Munchkins.” Through compelling storytelling, Brant reveals how the invention of these donut holes is not just a quirky business anecdote but a lesson in innovation, leadership, and paying attention to what everyone else overlooks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal and Cultural Context

• Brant sets the scene by sharing his own deep ties to Dunkin Donuts, painting a vivid picture of growing up in New England, where Dunkin locations were landmark references.
  • Quote:

    “Look, you want to go down to Cumberland Femmes, and you’re going to bang on the left down there dunks... That was my life.” (01:17)

2. Origins of the Donut Hole "Problem"

• In the 1970s, Dunkin Donuts was expanding rapidly, but the process was old-school: bakers made traditional donuts by hand, creating “dough holes” that were simply discarded.
• The waste was so normalized that no one questioned it—until Edna Demery, an employee at the Hartford, Connecticut location, decided to do something different.

3. A Moment of Curiosity Becomes Innovation

• Edna Demery’s pivotal action:
  • She noticed the discarded dough, thought “why are we throwing this out?”, and started frying the centers into little balls.
  • No corporate approval; just a simple act born out of everyday observation.
  • Quote:

    “She just looks at this pile of dough and thinks, why are we throwing this out? So she does something incredibly simple. She rolls the dough into little balls. She fries them, she puts them out. That’s it.” (03:10)

4. Immediate Success and Grassroots Growth

• The dough balls—a grassroots product innovation—became an instant hit with customers, accounting for about 10% of the store’s revenue within weeks.
• The popularity was organic, spreading by word of mouth, first in Hartford and then beyond.

5. Naming: From ‘Donut Holes’ to ‘Munchkins’

• Dunkin corporate eventually learned of the dough balls and initially called them “donut holes,” but the name didn’t resonate.
• The breakthrough came when they were rechristened “Munchkins”—making them fun, desirable, and not merely a substitute for donuts.
  • Quote:

    “They call them Munchkins, after the tiny characters from the Wizard of Oz. And that’s the moment everything clicks. You see, now, they’re not leftovers. They’re treats. They’re fun. They’re shareable.” (06:34)

6. Evolution: From Waste to Category

• The product’s popularity led Dunkin to redesign their production process. Munchkins were no longer just byproducts—they were made intentionally, even requiring specialized equipment.
• Dunkin now sells close to a billion Munchkins a year.

7. Transforming a Donut Story into a Leadership Lesson

• Brant broadens the story’s meaning, framing it as a parable about leadership and innovation:
  • The best ideas often come not from the boardroom, but from those closest to the day-to-day work.
  • The risk for leaders: getting so removed from the details that they conflate “habit with truth,” missing opportunities hiding in plain sight.
  • Quote:

    “Most organizations don’t fail because they lack ideas. They fail because they stop seeing what’s right in front of them.” (09:48)

  • Consistent innovation often lies in questioning what’s been normalized or dismissed as “too small to matter.”

8. Call to Action

• Brant invites listeners to look at their own environments, asking:

  “What are the people closest to your work seeing that you’ve trained yourself not to notice anymore? Because the next breakthrough in your organization probably isn’t waiting for permission. It’s already happening right where the scraps are.” (11:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Normalcy of Waste:

  “No meeting, no discussion, no second thought, just trash. Because that’s how donuts work. They always have.” (02:12)

• On Edna’s Simple Question:

  “And here’s where it gets good ... Until one day she doesn’t [throw the dough away].” (02:43)

• On the Power of a Name:

  “And weirdly, it doesn’t work. People treat them like a replacement, sales stall. So Duncan tries one more thing. They change the name. They call them Munchkins... That’s the moment everything clicks.” (06:28–06:36)

• On Leadership and Distance:

  “The farther you get from the day to day, the easier it is to confuse habit with truth.” (09:20)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:00–01:30] — Brant’s introduction and cultural context of Dunkin in New England
• [02:10–03:30] — Introduction of Edna Demery and her realization
• [04:00–05:00] — The immediate success of the dough balls in Hartford
• [06:00–07:00] — The pivotal moment of renaming "Munchkins"
• [08:30–10:00] — Leadership insights and the risk of habitual thinking
• [10:45–11:30] — Final call to action for listeners: look for unnoticed opportunities

Conclusion

Brant Menswar’s episode “The Birth of Munchkin Mania” masterfully draws out both the surprising corporate origin of a beloved treat and the deeper lesson it contains: breakthroughs often come from those paying closest attention to overlooked details, not from people at the top. By urging listeners to notice the “scraps” in their own work and organizations, Brant reframes a donut story into an inspiring case study on curiosity, innovation, and seeing opportunity where others see waste.