Poppin' Fresh

I love cultural icons. There are few greater icons than the Pillsbury Doughboy (or as I like to call him, Poppin' Fresh). Honestly, there are few figures we all know so well than this little guy. At the ripe age of 41, he's still going strong. Don't believe me, catch a glimpse of this guy busting a move! Over at the Pillsbury web site, each faithful or less than faithful fan can take a few seconds and put together their own Doughboy Dance. Check out mine.

Here's the short timeline on Poppin' Fresh we all need to know:

1965: The Pillsbury Doughboy is born. He is voiced by Paul Frees, the voice of Boris Badanov from "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle".

1972: The Doughboy was named the toy of the year by Playthings magazine. I am a bit concerned about the name of that magazine...is anyone else?

1986: Voice of the Doughboy (Paul Frees) dies; he is replaced by Jeff Bergman, voice of Charlie the Tuna (this is clearly a major step for Jeff).

1987: The Doughboy was awarded first place in the "Whom Do You Love?" survey by Advertising Age.

1996: At 31, the Doughboy is named the most recognizable advertising character by Marketing Evaluation, Inc.

1998: Poppin' Fresh receives over 200 pieces of mail per week and Pillsbury sends over 1,500 autographed pictures to fans worldwide.

Let's face it, this is one tasty little bastard and a pricy one, too. The original Doughboy prop cost Pillsbury $16,000 dollars and was made of foam and plaster. So, even if you wanted to throw him into your oven, he'd have the last laugh.

If you are ever in Wal-Mart, check out the grocers' freezer section with Pillsbury items. Chances are, there will be a giant styrofoam Doughboy there to greet you. It may not be edible, but I bet he'd make a fantastic life preserver.