The Mardi Gras King Cake Tradition, Explained | Eater
"A commercial New Orleans bakery credited with popularizing the modern practice of including a small figurine in king cakes during the 1950s; the shops originally used porcelain babies but later switched to plastic for practicality, and today the tiny figurine is often sold separately and hidden by the purchaser rather than being baked into the cake for safety reasons. This innovation helped cement the baby trinket as a central Mardi Gras and Epiphany ritual tied to luck and the obligation to host future celebrations." - Dana Hatic
