“What hides in the bakery at Christmas?”/“Mince spy.”

“Mince pie” sounds like “mince spy.” The observation was cited in an 1872 newspaper:
 
“The little boy who wanted to go and see the French Spy, was told to be good and stay at home, and he would have some mince-spy.”
 
A Christmas riddle has been cited in print since at least 1999:
 
Q: What hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A: Mince spy.
 
A Thanksgiving riddle has been cited in print since at least 2006:
 
Q: What is full of raisins and on a secret mission?
A: Mince spy.
 
 
Chronicling America
20 December 1872, Rock Island (IL) Daily Argus, “Notes, Here and There,” pg. 4, col. 4:
The little boy who wanted to go and see the French Spy, was told to be good and stay at home, and he would have some mince-spy.
 
10 November 1991, The Sun-Herald (Sydney, Australia), pg. 79, col. 5:
Q: What do you call someone who peers throw a butcher’s window?
A: A mince spy.
Laura (7), Wahroonga.
 
Google Groups: alt.ozdebate.jokes
CHRISTMAS CRACKER JOKES
Chimp
12/14/99
(...)
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy!
 
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Kids Puns of the Weak 12-21-04
Stan Kegel
12/21/04
(...)
Who hides in a bakery on Christmas?
A Mince Spy (Richard Lederer)
 
Brownielocks—Thanksgiving Jokes and Riddles (November 17, 2006)
58. What’s full of raisins and is on a secret mission?
Mince spy
 
Twitter
Rob McM
‏@robmcm
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas? A mince spy! Thank you, I’m here all week!
6:19 AM - 19 Dec 2007
 
The Telegraph (UK)
Top ten worst Christmas cracker jokes ever
By Natalie Paris 2:01PM GMT 19 Dec 2007
(...)
9. Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy.
 
Twitter
JMcM
‏@mcmullej
What’s brown and sneaks around the kitchen? The mince spy of course.
2:03 PM - 11 Dec 2008
 
Google Books
Have Yourself a Punny Little Christmas:
Word Play for the Holidays
By Richard Lederer
Illustrations by Jim McLean
Layton, UT: Wyrick & Company
2009
Pg. 34:
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy.
 
Facebook
Wishing you a safe & warm Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2010 at 12:00pm
(...)
What is full of raisins & on a secret mission?
Mince Spy
 
Google Groups: The Grif.net
11/21/11 Grif.Net - Thanksgiving Turkeys
Dr. Bob
11/21/11
(...)
Q. What’s full of raisins and on a secret mission?
A. Mince spy!
     
from my notebook
November 23, 2011
Corny Thanksgiving Jokes
(...)
Q. What’s full of raisins and on a secret mission?
A. Mince spy!
   
Google Books
Christmas Cracker Jokes For Kids
By Peter Crumpton
PeteyRF Creative
2015
Pg. ?:
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy!
 
Google Books
The Funny Christmas Stocking Filler Book
By Jonathan Swan
New York, NY: Random House
2016
Pg. ?:
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy.