Pretty crazy to think that crescent rolls, which are advertised for their buttery taste and flavor, are actually vegan. As it turns out, there are several interesting facts about Pillsbury that are not well-known. The Doughboy has quite a storyline behind him, and even family members.

1. Crescent Rolls are Vegan

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Photo courtesy of walmart.com

Pillsbury crescent rolls contain NO dairy. Yes, that’s right, none. Why? Butter has a much shorter shelf-life than, say hydrogenated palm oil. As fancy as the name may sound, this oil contains trans fat, and is bad for your cholesterol and shouldn’t be eaten. Everything in moderation, even Pillsbury crescent rolls.

2. Pillsbury Has Grown, A Lot

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Photo courtesy of cbx.com

In the 1950s, Pillsbury had its name on only 5 products. By 1963, the Pillsbury name appeared on 127 different products, so now you can make fun things like this.

3. Pillsbury Went to Space

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Photo courtesy of americaspace.com

Pillsbury developed the first solid food that was sent to space, which Scott Carpenter ate on the Mercury mission Aurora 7 in 1962.

4. The Doughboy Became Quite a Star


In 2014, the Doughboy guest-starred in a GEICO commercial. “How happy are folks who save hundreds of dollar switching to GEICO? – I’d say happier than the Pillsbury Doughboy on his way to a baking convention.” It’s guaranteed to cheer anyone up.

5. The Doughboy Has a Name

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Photo courtesy of goinglikesixty.com

The Pillsbury doughboy was given the name Poppin’ Fresh after the popping sound Pillsbury biscuit containers make when opening them.

6. The Doughboy Started as Stop-Motion

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Gif courtesy of giphy.com

Before switching over to a computer-generated character in 1992, the doughboy was created in stop-motion format. The original clay 3-D model of the doughboy cost $16,000, with five bodies and 15 heads to create the different looks and positions.

7. The Doughboy Was Actually Two Boys

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Photos courtesy of yowpyowp.blogspot.com and voicechasers.com

The iconic Doughboy was first voiced by a man named Paul Frees, who also voiced Boris Badenov from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. He was then voiced by JoBe Cerny, who was famous for being the face of the Cheer detergent campaign.

8. The Hand Poke was CGI

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Photo courtesy of thedailymeal.com

The famous hand that pokes the doughboy was computer-generated until new technology arose. The first real hand to poke the doughboy was in a 1989 campaign.

9. There’s a Family Tree

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Photo courtesy of flickr.com

In the 1970s, Poppin’ Fresh had a wife, Poppie, two sons Popper and Bun Bun, Granmommer, Granpopper, Uncle Rollie, Cupcake the bear and Flapjack and Biscuit, the dog and cat.