This Sunday is World Baking Day, and so we’re going to talk about one of the world’s best known and most prolific bakers: the Pillsbury Doughboy.
https://youtu.be/pXapkBlCoWE?si=cIvchClfO4PL_T95
The little white dude with the bright blue eyes first appeared on TV in November 1965.
He was made of plaster and form and brought to life through stop-motion animation, plus some voice acting by Paul Frees, the voice of Boris Badenov on “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and characters on about a trillion other shows.
Rudy Perz, the ad executive who dreamed him up, thought of the Doughboy popping out of a can of refrigerated dough.
So, in his screen debut, his first words were, “I’m Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy. May I have this dance?”
He then dances with a lady’s hand and sings about the joys of home baked biscuits.
And yes, the woman does poke his stomach and he giggles, which has been a signature of his ads for over half a century.
So now you know his full name, Poppin’ Fresh.
But did you also know he has a family?
In the 1970s another series of ads featured a Dough Lady named Poppie Fresh who showcased sweet baked goods.
As the Huffington Post reported, one big difference between the two was no tickling the dough woman out of nowhere.
Poppin’ Fresh also had a son named Popper and a daughter named Bun Bun.
The family had elders: Granmommer, with her hair in a bun, and Granpopper, who had an old-timey curly mustache.
There was an Uncle Rollie (or is that pronounced Roll-ey?) and two pets, Flapjack the dog and Biscuit the cat.
Poppin’ Fresh is the only one who’s been in the ad series the whole time, but they should really think about putting the rest of the crew back in front of the camera.
What I wouldn’t give to see a reality show about that household.
Today in Iowa, it’s day two of the three day Orange City Tulip Festival.
Since 1933, the community has honored its Dutch roots with bigger and brighter displays of tulips, plus there are parades, folk dancing, and wooden shoe carving demonstrations.
Meet the Pillsbury Doughboy’s Family! (Huffington Post)
The Doughboy is 50! (General Mills)
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