On Brand With Jimmy Fallon episode 6 recap: Contestants tackle a family-friendly challenge bringing the Pillsbury Doughboy to life

The sixth episode of On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, which aired on October 17, featured the eight remaining contestants taking on a new challenge centered on the Pillsbury Doughboy.

The task required them to create a family-oriented activation and campaign updating the image of the long-standing mascot, officially known as Poppin’ Fresh.

The challenge aimed to produce a refreshed concept that maintained the brand’s identity while appealing to families.

General Mills Chief Marketing Officer Doug Martin introduced the task, while Fallon observed the teams’ creative process and later participated in a focus group experiment.

Episode 6 highlights of On Brand With Jimmy Fallon

The Pillsbury Doughboy challenge

The competitors were asked to develop a campaign, tagline, and interactive experience that could modernize the Doughboy’s appeal.

Martin emphasized that the challenge should highlight Poppin’ Fresh’s role as a family-friendly icon. Contestants were given an hour to finalize their ideas, following the detailed brand usage guidelines provided.

Elijah Bennett proposed reimagining the mascot as a musical artist, presenting an album titled Hoo Hoo 2U. The concept aimed to create an event centered around the Doughboy’s music release.

Ryan Winn’s idea used the tagline “Life Rolls, Keep Doughing,” suggesting a lighthearted approach to stress relief through a pop-up event featuring outdoor games.

Pyper Bleu focused on family bonding through baking, recalling experiences from her own household. Her campaign, “Home is Where the Dough Boy Is,”

centered on a virtual and in-person experience featuring the mascot’s “home.” Visitors could explore themed rooms, play games, and participate in interactive content such as recipe-based activities.

Other contestants presented various concepts. Azhelle Wade offered the tagline “When the world starts to crumble, grab a plate,” while Mahiri Takai envisioned a hands-on factory activation.

Lauren Karwoski proposed a “love at first bite” theme, and Sabrina Burke designed a multicultural food truck campaign. Bianca’s concept, “The Dough’m,” was built around the sensory experience of baking, highlighting sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste through an immersive dome installation.

Bringing the concepts to life

Two pitches were selected for testing at New York City’s South Street Seaport: Pyper’s “Dough Boy’s House” experience and Bianca’s “Dough’m.”

Pyper worked with Mahiri, Sabrina, and Azhelle to build a small-scale version of the Doughboy’s home, complete with a kitchenette setup, coloring books, and interactive recipe games.

Bianca’s team, composed of Elijah, Ryan, and Lauren, constructed transparent domes containing ASMR-inspired digital experiences and dough-like materials for tactile play.

During setup, the domes generated excessive heat due to sunlight exposure, causing minor technical issues such as melting scented candles.

The group resolved the problem using portable air-conditioning units before presenting the installation to guests.

Focus group and outcome

The episode included the show’s first focus group, organized to evaluate both activations. Jimmy Fallon attended in disguise, posing as a bearded biker to ask off-topic questions during the session.

The interruption temporarily affected the proceedings but was later clarified as part of Fallon’s comedic participation.

During the evaluation, Pyper highlighted the family appeal of her idea, noting that it encouraged creative play without reliance on digital devices.

Her reasoning aligned with the challenge’s requirement for a family-oriented activation. Judges, including Bozoma Saint John, acknowledged the argument as consistent with the task objectives.

Pyper Bleu was ultimately named the winner of the episode and awarded the Pillsbury account.

Her concept later advanced into an augmented reality experience developed by the brand.

No contestant was eliminated in this round, with eliminations set to resume in the following episode.

Stay tuned for more updates.