Pillsbury was founded in 1872 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the uncle and nephew duo of John Sargent Pillsbury and Charles Alfred Pillsbury. Though at one time, the company boosted of being in possession of the largest grain mill in the world at the Pillsbury 'A' Mill overlooking Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, today Pillsbury is not an independent company.

The Pillsbury brand today is owned by two corporations, 'General Mills' and the 'The J. M. Smucker Company'. Any mention of Pillsbury, and the image that one gets in mind is that of a cute white character made of dough, the Pillsbury Doughboy. And the unique chuckle when the Doughboy was poked on its stomach. If Pillsbury has us believed 8 3/4 inches tall, including his hat. Doughboy's real name is Poppin Fresh. The Doughboy was so famous, when Pillsbury issued a Doughboy doll, the toy became very popular and Playthings Magazine named it 'Toy of the Year' in 1972.Doughboy is married to Poppie; has a son, Popper; a baby daughter, Bun Bun; GrandPopper and GranMommer , the grandparents; a cat, Biscuit; a dog, Flapjack, and a bachelor uncle, Rollie.

When poked in the stomach, he makes a short giggling noise, lightly grabs his stomach, and smiles. The Doughboy has two blue eyes and a signature blush when girls kiss him. He wears a baker's cap and a scarf around his neck. The Doughboy has been a part of almost every Pillsbury commercial. Today there are countless types of Doughboy memorabilia such as Doughboy pins, dolls, toolkits, T-shirts, trays, cookie-jars, cups, stuffed toys, watches, paper towel holder, gumball machine, ceramic moulds, etc and of course books and video compact disks apart.