Pillsbury Just Dropped A Limited-Edition Holiday Sweater

While it's hard to imagine what a holiday sweater designed for Pillsbury might look like, one question is forefront: "Will it be ugly?" Traditionally, the word "ugly" has preceded the term "holiday sweater," likely because they tend to lean towards garish and often look more appropriate on a small child than on an adult who's conquered the business world. Despite resembling a fashion faux pas, this trend has taken the world by storm and it seems to be enduring. But who on earth thought up the ugly Christmas sweater? 

While CNN points to "Christmas Vacation" character Clark Griswold and Mark Darcy of "Bridget Jones' Diary" as early proponents of this fashion statement, others want to take the credit. ThoughtCo reveals that Vancouver asserts itself as the original home of the "ugly sweater party" after introducing the Original Ugly Sweater Party in 2002. No matter who is deserving of the credit (or, more aptly, the blame) for this woolly debacle, everyone seems to have at least one in their closet. Hubbub reveals that by late 2019, the British public already possessed about 65 million Christmas-themed jumpers. Clearly, this ugly sweater phenomenon isn't going anywhere soon. And why should it? People seem to enjoy this quirky show of personality and Christmas spirit. 

So what does Pillsbury's reimagining of the ugly holiday sweater involve? Knitted croissants and Christmas cookies, perhaps? 

It turns out, the Pillsbury holiday sweater isn't ugly at all. Instead, it bears the face of the company's beloved mascot, the Pillsbury Doughboy. And what it lacks in ugliness, it makes up for in awesome capabilities — his is no run-of-the-mill sweater. 

According to a press release, you can scan the crescent roll on its left sleeve and, voila, you'll have access to baking hints, recipes, and a season-appropriate playlist. And that's not all. Whenever someone pokes you in the Doughboy's belly, he will let out his trademark "Hoo hoo." (If only he could bake you a batch of sugar cookies.)

With the Doughboy once having received 200 letters from admirers every week (per the official Pillsbury website), his image is beloved by many and is bound to sell sweaters. If you'd love to wear this smiley dough-face, you can get yours on November 3rd starting at 8:00 am CST. They will be available for $75 at Pillsbury's online store. While your sweater won't likely be the ugliest at the office party (seriously, look at that face), it just might be the cutest. "Hoo hoo!"