The History of Funfetti Cake

Funfetti cake mix was first released by Pillsbury in 1989. The company ran a commercial promoting the new flavor that involved showing the Pillsbury Doughboy blowing up a regular yellow cake with a voiceover that asked, “Want a bigger bang out of your next birthday?” Whether due to the advertising campaign or simply the unique appearance and appealing taste of the product itself, the colorful cake quickly caught on with consumers and became especially popular at children’s birthday parties in the 1990s. Other boxed cake mix producers quickly created their own versions of Funfetti to get in on the new trend — Betty Crocker created a Rainbow Chip Cake flavor and Duncan Hines released a Signature Confetti Cake flavor. Pillsbury also followed up on its own success with a line of Funfetti frosting products and even a Funfetti brownie mix. Today, Funfetti cake remains a favorite of both kids and adults alike. Additionally, many bakeries have created their own unique takes on the sprinkle-filled cake and their colorful creations can often be seen on social media posts.