The Sweet Meaning Behind Dolly Parton's Butterfly Tattoos

Multiple Grammy Award winner Dolly Parton has made butterflies an undeniable part of her brand. In fact, the winged creatures mean so much to Parton that the country music superstar has even gotten a few of them tattooed on her body — though she generally keeps her ink hidden from view. According to Parton, her connection with butterflies goes back to when she was growing up in the Tennessee mountains. 

"As a child I was kind of wanting to have fun and see what was out there," Parton told Hello! Magazine. "I was curious and kind of rowdy; one of those kids where nothing was ever enough, I wanted to see more, do more, be more, all of that." Parton added that she "used to chase butterflies off into the woods and get lost." This drew the ire of Parton's mother, who would have to come out and find her.

Parton also explained that her various medical procedures are what inspired her to start getting tattooed. "When I first started getting a few little things done, I had a few little tattoos to cover up some scarring," she said. "If I have to get a scar for any reason, I never can get rid of that purple look. So I thought, 'Well, I'm going to kind of decorate these with some flowers or little butterflies or whatever.'"

Of course, tattoos aren't the only way Parton has paid homage to the flying insects that captivated her as a child. "One of my big songs, a number one hit I wrote 50 years ago, was 'Love Is Like a Butterfly.' Through the years it's been my emblem, and even at my theme park Dollywood, the 'w' part is a butterfly," Parton said in the same Hello! interview.

But it doesn't stop at the logo. Butterfly imagery can be found throughout Parton's Dollywood theme park in her home state of Tennessee. There's even a "Butterfly Garden" attraction, as well as an official "Hidden Butterfly Scavenger Hunt." Additionally, Dollywood's sister water park Splash County has a waterslide attraction simply called "The Butterfly."

Speaking of Dollywood, Parton is also using her love of butterflies to get her Willy Wonka on. Per Fox 17 in Nashville, Parton has hidden "Butterfly Tickets" in 10 copies of the new "Tennessee Playcation Kid's Guide." The lucky families who find these tickets (which are pink, not gold, by the way) will receive a VIP trip to Dollywood during the upcoming 2025 season. Parton is clearly aware of the similarities between herself and that fictional chocolatier we mentioned. A promotional video shows the country music icon adding to her already lavish wardrobe with a Willy Wonka-inspired outfit — top hat and all.