By Heather Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this week, the Internet discovered that the Pillsbury Doughboy\u2019s real name is Poppin\u2019 Fresh<\/a> \u2014 and it was a moment that left everyone \u201cshook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if I was to tell you that this is just the tip of the iceberg in surprises you may not know about Mr. Fresh? One of the first posts I ever wrote on the AW mascot blog was all about how the Doughboy\u2019s earliest sketches resemble Casper the Ghost<\/a> \u2014 he was much more floppy back then with a smaller tummy. Now, let\u2019s take it deeper with an exclusive look at the Poppin\u2019 Fresh family tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s that, you say? Poppin\u2019 Fresh has a family<\/em>? Yep, he sure does! Some of you might already know about Poppie Fresh, the Doughboy\u2019s friendly, female counterpart. Making her debut in the early 1970s, Poppie was created by Carol H. Williams<\/a> at the Leo Burnett advertising agency. Williams worked alongside Rudy Perz (the creator of the Pillsbury Doughboy) to develop Poppie who was nicknamed \u201cThe Little Girl with Big Ideas.\u201d While Poppin\u2019 Fresh represented fresh dough products, Poppie Fresh introduced all of the sweet products like Danishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there is one distinct difference between the two. Unlike the Doughboy, Poppie was not allowed to be poked in the tummy. Williams did not approve of a large, masculine hand poking a tiny character that identified as female without her consent and the team at Leo Burnett agreed with her decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alongside Poppie, the 1970s saw the emergence of more members of the Fresh family. These members included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n