Hole-y cow -- is nothing sacred? That's what doughnut-consuming Calgarians are asking after finding out Tim Hortons has shrunk their doughnuts to 1964 sizes.

Doughnut lovers believe the Canadian institution has taken the expression "downsizing" to new lows.

"The guys at work are pretty choked," said Calgary factory employee George Caine, of the reaction the smaller snacks are creating among his colleagues.

The tiny detail was noted with shock by his peers when their routine doughnut run produced the shrunken doughnuts, in a new, smaller box.

"They even had to change the boxes because the doughnuts were too small and they were too loose in there."

But according to Tim Hortons' head office, the change is a way of standardizing all franchises by using the original dimensions established when the chain opened almost four decades ago.

"Since 1964 we've had specifications for the size of the doughnuts, but over the years franchise operators deviated from that and made bigger or smaller doughnuts," said Tim Hortons' spokeswoman Patricia Jamieson. "They lacked consistency and we re-issued the original specification hoping that wherever you go in Canada you'll get the same size of doughnuts," she said.

The fact boxes are now smaller is just a coincidence, said Jamieson.

The change in boxes -- the new ones no longer have handles -- "is an ongoing process" of testing new items within their line, said Jamieson. "Sometimes a change is welcomed."

For loyal Timmy's fans, the smaller doughnuts in smaller boxes strike a little too close to the creamy centre.

"It'd be all right if they changed the price to that of 1964, too," said Caine.