Pillsbury Toaster Pockets

The “Kevin the Teenager” Advert

Forgotten Adverts · 1997

Archived on

Associated With

Pillsbury - product brand; Grand Metropolitan - commissioning business; Lowe Howard-Spink - advertising agency; Tiger Aspect - production company; Harry Enfield - performer, script contributor and director; Louisa Rix - performer

Defining Feature

Frozen savoury pastry snacks intended for heating in a domestic toaster

Status

Unknown - probable UK discontinuation; withdrawal date undocumented

Overview

Pillsbury Toaster Pockets were frozen savoury pastries made for heating in a domestic toaster.

Aimed at UK consumers aged 10–16, they received a television campaign by late January 1997 featuring Harry Enfield as Kevin the Teenager. The reported 40-second launch commercial ran on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky.

Set in Kevin’s family kitchen, the advert built its product demonstration around his familiar teenage strop and a four-minute preparation time. The Pillsbury Doughboy appeared at the end.

Why It Mattered

The campaign’s cultural distinction came from pairing a new toaster snack with Kevin the Teenager, an established British television character familiar to the intended teenage audience. This gave an unfamiliar product an immediately recognisable comic identity.

Enfield refined the script with Lowe Howard-Spink and directed the Tiger Aspect production. That involvement made the advert a notable extension of his character work into commercial production.

Product Concept and Audience

  • Marketing Week described the range as frozen savoury snacks prepared in a toaster and aimed at consumers aged 10–16.
  • In the commercial’s storyline, Kevin complained that the snacks would take four minutes to prepare before eating them.

Television Launch and Spending

  • The television commercial appeared by late January 1997, according to The Independent’s report published on 4 February.
  • Marketing Week reported a £3 million UK product launch in July 1996, with the advertising campaign expected the following year.

Cast and Production

  • Harry Enfield appeared as Kevin the Teenager, with Louisa Rix playing Kevin’s mother.
  • Enfield refined the script with Lowe Howard-Spink and directed the commercial; Tiger Aspect produced it.
  • The Pillsbury Doughboy appeared at the end of the reported launch commercial.
Sources & Records

Gallery

Close-up of a person with chin-length orange hair, sunglasses on top of their head, a striped tie and a fleece-lined jacket, examining a small rectangular toasted pastry held near their mouth.
Source
Credit

Only Adverts! — YouTube uploader/source host

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Kevin examines a toasted pocket in a close-up from the campaign.

A short-haired woman wearing a pale pink top and a pearl stud earring looks to the left while standing in a kitchen with light-colored cabinets; bright light enters from the left edge.
Source
Credit

Only Adverts! — YouTube uploader/source host

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Kevin’s mum reacts from across the kitchen in a companion campaign shot.

Close-up of a smiling young person with shoulder-length reddish hair and a backward beige cap, wearing a red plaid coat with a cream fleece collar over a shirt, tie and dark sweater in a warmly lit room.
Source
Credit

Only Adverts! — YouTube uploader/source host

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Kevin the Teenager pulls a face at his mum in the Pillsbury Toaster Pockets campaign.

Television end card on a turquoise background with the Pillsbury Doughboy beside a yellow box labeled “Pillsbury Toaster Pockets.” Text across the top reads “SIMPLY TOAST FROM FROZEN,” and the package shows two browned triangular pockets, a red “NEW” corner label, and a purple panel marked “6.”
Source
Credit

Only Adverts! — YouTube uploader/source host

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Pillsbury Doughboy presents the Toaster Pockets beneath the line “Simply toast from frozen.”