Pillsbury Doughboy
Pillsbury Doughboy | |
---|---|
First appearance | November 7, 1965[1] |
Created by | Rudy Perz |
Voiced by |
|
In-universe information | |
Full name | Poppin' Fresh |
Species | Anthropomorphic dough |
Gender | Male |
Title | Mascot of Pillsbury Company |
Family | See section below |
Poppin' Fresh, more widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, is an advertising
History
The Pillsbury Doughboy was created by Rudolph 'Rudy' Perz, a copywriter for Pillsbury's longtime advertising agency
Character
Originally named "Jonathan Pillsbury", the doughboy was given a scarf, a chef's hat, and two big blue eyes to distinguish him from the rolls, as well as a faint blush and a soft, warm chuckle when poked on the belly. The Doughboy was originally designed by Milt Schaffer
Voice actor
After Frees' death in 1986, Jeff Bergman took over the role, until 2014.[1] The high-pitched giggles were done by JoBe Cerny between 2014-2019.[6] Evan Mangiamele has voiced the doughboy since 2019. In two adverts for the UK in 1976, British voice actor Peter Hawkins voiced the character.
Animation
Perz originally conceived the Doughboy as a cartoon animated figure but changed his mind after seeing a stop-motion technique used in the opening credits for The Dinah Shore Show. Cascade Pictures was hired to create a three-dimensional Doughboy puppet at a cost of $16,000.
The Doughboy was brought to life with stop-motion animation, using foam rubber puppets with ball and socket armatures inside for the body.[7] The heads were typically made of resin, each with different mouth shapes or expression and animated using a replacement animation technique whereby the head would be swapped out frame-by-frame to match the mouth movements to the dialog.[8] Beginning in 1992, the animation technique was changed to CGI animation, and continues to be used in new ads.
Pillsbury family
In the 1970s, a Pillsbury Doughboy family was created and sold as dolls individually and in the form of various playsets.[9]
Included in the family are:
- Poppin' Fresh[9]
- Poppie Fresh (a.k.a. Mrs. Poppin' Fresh, Pillsbury Doughgirl). It is debated among collectors as to whether Poppie is Poppin's wife, girlfriend, or sister.[10][9]
- Granpopper and Granmommer (grandparents)[9]
- Popper (boy) and Bun-Bun (baby, girl)[9]
- Flapjack (dog) and Biscuit (cat)[9]
- Uncle Rollie[9]
Trademark conflict
In May 2010, Pillsbury's lawyers served a cease and desist notice to My Dough Girl, LLC., a Salt Lake City, Utah cookie retailer.[11] Some reported that an attorney for General Mills instructed her not to talk to the press.[12]
References
- ^ a b c "How Well Do You Know the Pillsbury Doughboy?". Pillsbury.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
- from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ISBN 978-0313314810. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
- ISBN 0-8118-0936-6.
- ^ Giangrasse Kates, Joan (2012-08-01). "Fern Persons, 1910-2012, Worked for decades as actress in radio, TV, films, commercials and stage". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ^ Taylor, Heather (2022-08-28). "What Was It Like to Work on the Last Pillsbury Stop-Motion Animated Commercials?". https://advertisingweek.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
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- ^ Fletcher, Joel (2011-10-16). "The End of the Stop-Motion Doughboy". The Crucible of Transmutationanecdotes about the creative process. Archived from the original on 2024-04-25.
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timestamp mismatch; 2024-04-26 suggested (help) - ^ a b c d e f g [1] Archived May 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Pillsbury Dough Girl-Poppie Fresh-Pillsbury Co". Advertisingiconmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "My Dough Girl in Trademark Trouble with Pillsbury". Salt Lake City Weekly. 2010-07-06. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "Pillsbury Sends Cease & Desist to 'Dough Girl' Bakery". Techdirt. 2010-08-03. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
External links
- Audio file (MP3 format) of the Doughboy giggling
- Character's official site
- Official history of Poppin' Fresh from General Mills website
- Pillsbury Family