SOFT SELL

The pudgy Pillsbury Doughboy is as popular as ever (recently voted the favorite commercial character of Ad Age readers, capturing 20% of the vote), but at press time, the little guy was still without a voice!

Legendary vocal performer Paul Frees (the voice of Boris Badenov in the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoons), who died Nov. 1, had been the voice of Pillsbury’s Poppin’ Fresh since his creation in 1965. But ad agency Leo Burnett Co., which hoped to announce a new voice weeks ago, has been frustrated in its star search. (Word has it that Jeff Bergman, who replaced the late Herschel Bernardi as the voice of Charlie Tuna, is a leading candidate.)

“It’s very difficult to replace Paul Frees,” Leo Burnett exec Angelo Antonucci told us. Auditioning performers may get the lines just right, he said, “but they won’t get the giggle.”

By the way, runners-up in the popularity poll, in order, were Morris the Cat, Frank Bartles of Bartles & James wine cooler fame, the Keebler Elves, Bartles’ partner Ed Jaymes, Life cereal’s Mikey, Ronald McDonald, Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger and the Snuggle fabric softener teddy bear (tied), and the California Raisin Advisory Board’s animated raisins.

Mrs. Butterworth was eliminated, according to Ad Age, when Lever Bros. employees attempted to stuff the ballot box by sending 612 ballots for the syrup lady.