By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
What comes to mind if you’re tasked to come up with a mascot for a weed killer brand? Your brainstorm session might be more likely to include a live-action spokesperson or an animated ornery weed — and less likely to consider a dog.
Man’s best friend was Spruce Weed & Grass Killer’s pick for their first mascot. The fun-loving Bruce the Spruce Dog made his debut in early March 2026, unleashed as the newest addition to Procter & Gamble’s lineup of advertising mascots.
PopIcon caught up with Jessica Ettelson, Senior Brand Director for Spruce, to learn more about why a four-legged friend makes sense to be a mascot for a pet friendly brand and what to expect from Bruce as the year unfolds.
How did Spruce decide now is the time for a mascot?
In our 2025 launch, we revealed the answer to an age-old question: who let the dogs out? It was Spruce! Because we are committed to worry-free, weed-free yards for dogs and their families, we wanted a new way to celebrate the joy that comes from letting the dogs out.
Bruce is the lovable leader of the pack, and he is on a mission to sniff out and replace traditional weed killers with a new weed killer that is Pet Friendly and Weed Deadly.
Why a dog?
Dogs use the yard more than any other member of the family, but they have no say in the products used in their space. We thought it’s time to change that. It was obvious for us our mascot needed to be a dog — Bruce the Spruce Dog embodies the brand’s promise and key benefit of being safe for use around people, pets and bees when used as directed.
As a dog, he can help celebrate homeowners that make the switch to Spruce. Yard work shouldn’t mean using products that require you to lock your family and pets indoors.
How would you describe Bruce’s personality?
Bruce the Spruce Dog is an approachable, loveable and joy-filled dog who just wants to be outside with his friends and family. As the first and only mascot in the weed killer category, he spotlights a better way forward — one where homeowners can tackle weeds without worry and without needing to keep their four-legged family members stuck inside.
There are two Bruce mascots in the commercials: one dressed in a costume like a college basketball dog mascot and a real dog at the anchor desk.
The more dogs, the merrier! While the commercial highlights multiple dogs, the Spruce brand only has one official mascot attached to it: Bruce the Spruce Dog. However, we have rallied a team of famous dogs that trust Spruce and have been featured in our creative assets since launch.
The real dog viewers see in some of our recent content is Peter, a lovable Golden Retriever who belongs to sports commentator Kirk Herbstreit! Following a partnership with Spruce for Super Bowl LX, Kirk and Peter appear in the new creative with the mascot as a fun cameo, bringing their signature football commentary style to the ultimate showdown between homeowners and weeds.
We also have partnerships with some of the most famous college basketball dog mascots, including Fresno State’s “Timeout,” Gonzaga’s “Spike the Bulldog,” University of Tennessee’s “Smokey” and UCONN’s “Jonathan the Huskey.”
What opportunities are there for Spruce to stand out in the gardening and lawn care space?
Today, dealing with weeds isn’t a job with much joy in it — we want to change that. We see an opportunity for Spruce to bring ease, joy and effectiveness to a lonely chore by showing that dealing with weeds can be done alongside man’s best friend and with some spontaneous dance breaks! Our goal is to be more approachable and transparent than the rest of the category, and we will do that with Bruce the Spruce Dog as a representation of our brand benefits and beliefs.
What can audiences expect from Bruce in 2026?
Bruce the Spruce Dog’s adventure is just getting started! He can be seen in a series of new creative assets alongside a few beloved college basketball dog mascots to prove that dogs and homeowners can win the game matchup against weeds with Spruce the pet friendly weed killer that is safe for use around people, pets AND mascots when used as directed.
Bruce will be making his debut across Spruce’s TikTok and Instagram channels this month with some fun content. As spring (and weed season) is just getting started, we have plenty more in the works. You’ll have to stay tuned to see where he pops up next!
Image Credit: Spruce Weed & Grass Killer
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.
