What about voodoo?

[R7ehr]

You can buy Voodoo Donuts in the Denver Airport.

[Ken]

It looks like a response similar to the celebration of horror, spirits and death you see at Halloween. I guess it's fun to mock things that are beyond control or reason.

I don't think it's that deep. It is just clever marketing They got big by becoming the place in downtown Portland were tourists would go to take Instagram selfies to prove they were in Portland. Locals never really went there much. Locals go to Blue Star donuts if they want fancy donuts. Which they mostly don't: https://bluestardonuts.com/ There are only about 1/10th the number of donut shops in the Portland metro compared to any random southern city.