In the US , especially in Southern California , fresh doughnuts sold by the dozen at local doughnut shops are typically packaged in generic pink boxes . This phenomenon can be attributed to Ted Ngoy and Ning Yen , refugees of the Cambodian genocide who transformed the local doughnut shop industry . They proved so adept at the business and in training fellow Chinese Cambodian refugees to follow suit that these local doughnut shops soon dominated native franchises such as Winchell 's Donuts . Initially desiring boxes of a lucky red color rather than the standard white , Ngoy and Yen settled on a cheaper , leftover pink stock . Owing to the success of their business , the color soon became a recognizable standard . Due to the locality of Hollywood , the pink boxes frequently appeared as film and television props and were thus transmitted into popular culture
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
Doughnut