A hot dog dipped in cornmeal batter and deep-fried is called a corn dog. In its familiar American form, the sausage is mounted on a stick, coated in thick cornmeal batter, and fried until the outside becomes crisp and golden.
Corn dogs are closely associated with fairs, carnivals, sporting events, roadside stands, and fast-food counters. Their exact inventor is disputed, but the modern form emerged in the United States around the late 1930s and early 1940s. Competing claims include the Fletcher family’s “Corny Dogs” at the State Fair of Texas and Pronto Pup’s claim of a 1939 invention.
“Pronto Pup” is therefore a related name rather than the single universal answer. It is a regional or brand-associated style, often made with pancake batter instead of the cornmeal batter that defines the standard American corn dog. Similar foods have different names abroad: Canada commonly uses “pogo” in some provinces, while Australia has names including Dagwood Dog and Pluto Pup.