The concept for the Pillsbury Doughboy originated on March 18, 1965, when Rudy Perz, a copywriter at the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago, devised the idea for the brand’s mascot. Perz named the character Poppin’ Fresh, reflecting the product’s freshness and quality, while experimenting with Pillsbury dough in his own kitchen.
Milt Schaffer, who had previously worked for Disney, was tasked with designing the Pillsbury Doughboy to ensure it didn’t resemble Casper the friendly ghost too closely. Schaffer’s design addressed this concern.
To animate the Doughboy, Cascade Studios in Los Angeles employed stop-action clay animation, a process that required 24 shots for every second of commercial time before the advent of computerization. The initial model cost $16,000 and featured five bodies and 15 heads to achieve various looks and poses in advertisements.
In 1992, CGI technology replaced stop-action motion. Over 50 actors auditioned for the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, with Paul Frees ultimately securing the role. From its inception, the Doughboy enjoyed immense popularity, boasting an 87 percent recognition factor among consumers within the first three years of its introduction.
Its fame endured, with the Doughboy once receiving 200 fan letters weekly and Pillsbury receiving 1,500 requests for autographed photos. For further insights into the creation of the Doughboy, Rudy Perz shares his firsthand account in a podcast by A Taste of General Mills.
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE CUTE LITTLE DOUGBOY KNOWN AS POPPIN FRESH?
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- 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.
- Poppin’ Fresh celebrated his 50th birthdayin 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 2012, 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.
