The Pillsbury Doughboy… here are some facts I stole from the internet.
Fast Facts About the Doughboy
- When voiceover actor Paul Frees died in 1986, Jeff Bergman, who also voiced Charlie the Tuna, took over as the voice of the Doughboy. JoBe Cerny is currently the voice-over personality for the character.
- How big is he? Poppin’ Fresh is 8 ¾ inches tall (with this hat!) and weighs 14 oz.
- The Doughboy has starred in more than 600 ads for 50 products.
- In 2009 Poppin’ Fresh made his debut as a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- The Leo Burnett Agency also came up with the concepts for Tony the Tiger and the Jolly Green Giant.
- Poppin’ Fresh celebrated his 50th birthday in 2015.
Pop Culture
The Doughboy’s first commercial aired on November 7, 1965. The Doughboy was born when he popped out of a can of dough, and said his first words, “I’m Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy!”
Poppin’ Fresh also starred in a commercial making chocolate chip cookies with 6-year-old Maureen McCormick, who went on to play Marcia Brady in The Brady Bunch. In the ad, the two sing the classic slogan, “Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven, and Pillsbury says it best.”
In recent years, MasterCard aired a commercial, which featured some of the top advertising icons, from the Morton Salt Girl (who poked the Doughboy’s tummy!) to the Vlasic Pickle Stork and Count Chocula.
The Doughboy also guest starred in a Geico commercial where he gets a pat down at an airport on the way to a baking convention. Of course, he couldn’t help but giggle!
The Poppin’ Fresh Family
In 1972 the Doughboy was introduced as a 7-inch vinyl doll, which became one of the fastest selling toys in the U.S. The following year, a companion doll, Poppie Fresh, was released, followed by Granmommer and Granpopper, Uncle Rollie, a son (Popper), daughter (Bun-Bun) and Flapjack and Biscuit (the Fresh family’s dog and cat) in the years that followed.
tr/trp