By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
2025 has been quite the year for brand mascots. We’ve seen it all played out to the utmost extremes. A bird faked its death on TikTok, a legume landed a starring role in a Netflix film, and cereal squares darkly admitted yes, they do enjoy eating their own kind in a nationwide ad campaign. A beloved blimp turned 100, a trio of monsters were given the Jim Henson puppet treatment for Halloween, and characters caught feelings (and made new friends) while at The Hamptons in a “Love Island” summer spoof that aired on social media platforms.
Only one character continually found his own a-dough-able ways to stand out online and in real life. The Pillsbury Doughboy, one of advertising’s smallest mascots at five inches tall, repeatedly rose to new heights this year. He made a cameo appearance in Instacart’s Super Bowl LIX commercial alongside beloved mascots like the Green Giant, Kool-Aid Man, and Mr. Clean. The Pillsbury Instagram account has been poppin’ all year with the Doughboy getting chatty on every trending topic from Taylor Swift’s engagement to the highly anticipated return of the Halloween Pillsbury cookies. There was a massive turnout to see a 25-foot-tall Doughboy that popped up outside of Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn, New York in September, and the Doughboy could hardly contain himself in a series of new commercials celebrating Pillsbury’s bigger biscuits, crescents, and cinnamon rolls. He dabbles in a little bit of everything from “extra” dance moves to drumming with a cheeky nod to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Did we mention he’s turning 60 in November?
The credit for the 25-foot Doughboy and his recent batch of new commercials goes to Goodby Silverstein & Partners, one of three creative agencies added to General Mills’ roster in September 2024. I was thrilled to get the chance to speak with Kate Baynham and Hanna Wittmark, Creative Directors at GS&P, and Michelle Odland, Vice President and Business Unit Director at Pillsbury, about their work on this beloved mascot and why working with the Doughboy is such a win for everyone involved.
GS&P was one of three agencies — alongside The Martin Agency and Mother — hired by General Mills in 2024. There was a statement put out by General Mills about how they were excited to be working alongside people doing things that would be “memorable and meaningful for consumers.” How has it been working with General Mills since this announcement was made?
Baynham: It has been so invigorating to work with General Mills this last year, and we’re so proud of the partnership we’re building together. It takes a real collaborative effort to build the businesses, push the work and create fun opportunities to connect these iconic brands with today’s generation. One of the clearest indicators of how the relationship we have with GMI is going is how proactively we see people wanting to work on the business. We have people all over the agency wanting a shot at working on these brands, and even when things are moving fast, there’s a feeling of excitement and an eagerness to make more. It’s passionate and fast moving, and that always leads to the best working relationships.
Before I get into the Doughboy’s biggest hits from 2025, I need a Poppin’ Fresh pulse check. Are the GS&P team members Doughboy fans? Did they ever think they’d get the chance to work on such an iconic mascot?
Baynham: It’s not an exaggeration to say the Doughboy is Pillsbury’s strongest asset. People love him. We all love him so much. He really helps pull the work together. He inspires fun thinking, which is outstanding for someone who has been working for 60 years. The team loves him, whether they grew up with him or are just getting introduced to him.
Working with a legend like the Doughboy is a treat. His lasting presence does such a good job of setting a tone for the work and how Pillsbury shows up in the world. He’s iconic and charming, and that helps the work follow suit.
The Doughboy is now the most talkative and active I’ve seen since the 1990s. Much of this credit goes to Teman Evans, who has been instrumental in rebranding so much about the Doughboy including his new blue neckerchief. Has GS&P been able to work with Evans? What has surprised you most about working with a newly reinvigorated Poppin’ Fresh?
Odland: We’ve not only refreshed the Doughboy’s wardrobe, but we’ve also given him a unique tone of voice and personality. He loves baking and bringing people together through food, and we’ve continued to evolve how he accomplishes that. Whether he’s providing recipe inspiration for a busy weeknight dinner or celebrating cultural moments, the Doughboy’s zest for life and helpful nature are infectious, and we hope that everyone who interacts with him and the Pillsbury brand can feel that.
Baynham: It’s amazing how much the Doughboy can make the work feel bigger, considering his stature. His iconic voice, his enthusiasm for life and his eternal optimism feel like a balm in an ever-intensifying world, without coming across as maudlin or annoying. We’ve been working to give him a very clear role in the world too as we’ve continued to work with him to be not just a bright spot in the day but almost a pied piper of family togetherness. His 60 years give him the wherewithal to give people a little nudge toward embracing and seeking out those moments.
I’d like to know some of the challenges of working on a character like the Pillsbury Doughboy, since he’s well-documented to have a character bible of mascot dos and don’ts. How does a character like this translate to social media and maintain an online presence without becoming unhinged?
Odland: The purpose of the Doughboy is to foster family togetherness and bring joy to people’s lives. Bringing him over to social has been something we’ve been figuring out day by day.
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While other brand mascots lean more into “unhinged” mindsets, the Doughboy has maintained his innocence and joy for life and help for families. The fun part of joining in on some of these social trends is truly seeing the trends through the Doughboy’s eyes. He may not fully understand the joke or trend, but he’s happy to be there, bringing a smile to people’s faces!
Wittmark: Going the path of “unhinged” was never in the cards for us, but it feels like the more we have him pop up socially as himself, the more his voice stands out in that world. It’s no mystery that the social media environment is mired in a lot of negative sentiment, so to be sweet and silly in that space seems like a welcome respite for a lot of people.
The world got to poke the little Doughboy for real in September. A 25-foot-tall inflatable Doughboy was set up outside of Jane’s Carousel to celebrate Pillsbury crescent rolls, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls baking up bigger than ever. How did you decide on a huge inflatable, and a one-day experience, for this event?
Odland: The main objective of this event was simple: to spread joy, while calling attention to how our Pillsbury crescent rolls, biscuits and cinnamon rolls now bake up bigger. We’ve seen countless comments from consumers saying that they want to poke his belly in real life, so we gave them the perfect opportunity! We wanted to give those who have grown up with the Doughboy that chance, while also sharing, and in some cases introducing, him to a new generation of people. Bringing that experience and connecting it to our food felt like a no-brainer.
Wittmark: It stemmed from the simple thought that we’ve seen people in commercials poke the belly of the Doughboy for years, and it is a compellingly pokable belly. We wanted to give people the chance to know what that felt like while also letting them know about everyone’s favorite biscuits, cinnamon rolls and crescents, which now bake up bigger. By making this 25-foot-tall Doughboy a big public event, it became a fun, free activity for folks and families to come together to enjoy. It feels important for Pillsbury to make experiences be things that people can enjoy as potential moments together.
What all goes into making a massive Doughboy?
Baynham: It involved a few months of very intense conversations about belly bounce-back and textures and general springiness. The kinds of conversations that if you tried to explain to someone outside the world of advertising, they’d really question your job. But they were all worth it.
How did Pillsbury fans react to the experience?
Odland: It was a fantastic reaction! We couldn’t believe the amount of people who showed up. To hear the surprise and excitement in people’s voices as they came up to poke his belly was incredible. People of all ages and backgrounds were standing in line to poke his belly and take a photo. It was truly heartwarming to see some families going back up multiple times to do it again. Online, we had so many comments from people saying they wished they had been in New York for the event and calling for him to come to their city. This was our first in-person event like this ever, so it was very reassuring that this is something fans really want to engage with.
Wittmark: We were blown away by the response. People really seemed to love it. Nearly 3,000 people showed up in person, and a ton of people on Instagram asked us to come visit their cities. And we made it possible for people nationwide to poke that iconic belly on pokethedoughboy.com.
How was it animating the Doughboy’s dance moves in the “Can I Get a Hoo Hoo?” commercial? He does the worm in the full-length spot — I’ve never seen that from Poppin’ Fresh before!
Baynham: For this, it felt important to make his dance moves feel culturally connected to the music in the spot, while also bridging the gap between the three generations sitting around the table. The worm was truly an added bonus that we felt like his doughy body was made for. When you don’t have bones, you can really make any dance move happen.
We’re now in the fall and soon-to-be winter months, AKA Pillsbury’s time to lock in with the baked goods. What can we expect from the brand as the holidays approach?
Odland: Outside of the Pillsbury Bake-Off®, Pillsbury will still be inspiring families to come together to enjoy the holiday season. We will continue to provide recipe inspiration and shortcuts to meals so that people can focus on what really matters during this time: spending time with loved ones and making memories.
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Wittmark: The famous Pillsbury Bake-Off® is coming back for the 53rd time, and the Doughboy is going to be joined by Donna Kelce. The holiday months are not just when people are baking the most. It’s also when football season is in full force. We thought that bringing the world of football to the Bake-Off would be a fun twist. Which means you’ll be seeing a lot of the Doughboy doing touchdown dances.
He’s got a milestone 60th birthday coming up, too. Any celebratory hints you can share?
Wittmark: We’ll be celebrating his 60th birthday in style very soon, but like most great parties, it will be a surprise. But we can’t wait to share it with you all.
How about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Think they’ll keep the old balloon or upgrade to one with a blue neckerchief?
Odland: We’ll be keeping the same balloon this year. The Doughboy is excited to come back to New York for the second time this year to spread joy. It’s been such an honor to be involved in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for another year. Make sure to have your cinnamon rolls ready when the Doughboy comes by!
As I wrap up my (many) questions, I’d like to hear about your favorite wins from a year spent working on such an iconic mascot.
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Baynham: Everything about working with him has felt like a win. Playing with his scale, having him show up in pop culture more, bringing his voice into social and sharing him more with the world has felt like a major win. He’s so beloved on both sides and has been for so long. Getting to know him more has felt like the biggest win of all.
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
