The Pillsbury Doughboy Has A Family — And A Real Name

The Pillsbury Doughboy is among the most influential food mascots of all time, up there with cultural icons like Betty Crocker and Chester Cheetah. The adorable, doughy mascot has been capturing hearts — and stomachs — since his TV debut back in November 1965. He's starred in over 600 commercials and even been featured as a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Although most people recognize him for his prominent role in plugging Pillsbury's range of products, few are aware of his extended lore.

According to Pillsbury, the Pillsbury Doughboy's real name is Poppin' Fresh. If you've ever experienced the urge to sneak a bite of Poppin' Fresh, you're not alone, but learning about his adorable family might give you second thoughts. Poppie Fresh, Poppin's female foil, joined the Pillsbury party in 1973 as a vinyl doll. The bonnet-wearing Poppie went on to promote the company's sweeter pastry products. The exact relationship between Poppin' and Poppie is the subject of some debate, but according to Pillsbury, she is simply Poppin's "friend." Poppin' also has two kids, Popper and Bun Bun, and the sweet family is rounded out by Granmommer, Granpopper, Uncle Rollie, Flapjack the dog, and Biscuit the cat. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Poppin' weighs exactly 14 ounces and stands 8 ¾ inches tall.

Although he might look like a simple anthropomorphic chunk of dough, Pillsbury invested a considerable amount of time and money into making Poppin' Fresh look so perfectly pokeable. The first model of the mascot set the company back over $16,000, equivalent to over $160,000 when adjusted for inflation. Perhaps even more impressively, commercials featuring Poppin' Fresh were produced using painstaking and time-consuming stop motion animation until 1992. 

Pillsbury didn't invest all this dough in designing Poppin' Fresh and his family just because they're cute. The most important role of any food mascot is convincing shoppers to spend more money, and the Pillsbury Doughboy is no exception. Poppin' and his family are a great tool to make Pillsbury's products seem fun and approachable. His characteristic appearance also helps Pillsbury's products to stand out on the shelf, ensuring that customers recognize them straight away. It's safe to say that the Pillsbury Doughboy's iconic giggle has sold plenty of cookie dough and crescent rolls over the years. Although it might seem silly for a food mascot to have such a detailed biography and extended family tree, we think it's wonderful that Poppin' Fresh has a doughy clan to share in his success.