Dunkin' Donuts commercial Quotes
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Source: Dunkin' Donuts commercial
Speaker: Fred the Baker
Time to make the donuts.
Context
This line was first said in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial by Fred the Baker, played by Michael Vale (1983).
You know those commercials with the catchphrases you could quote without even thinking? Like "What's in your wallet?" or "15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance"? Yep, catchphrases like that build familiarity with a company. Most of us can instantly identify those lines as the catchphrases for Capital One and Geico. "Time to make the donuts" did the same thing for the Dunkin' Donuts franchise back in the 80s.
See, there was this Dunkin' Donuts worker named Fred the Baker, and he'd wake up looking all tired and say, "Time to make the donuts." Or he'd be at a dinner party falling asleep, then he'd wake up and yell "Time to make the donuts!" Or he'd be in his car and… well, you get where we're going with this.
And of course, Fred would end up at Dunkin' Donuts making those donuts by the end of the commercial. People loved it, and they loved Fred the Baker. He just gave us all some sense of security—you always knew there'd be donuts at Dunkin' Donuts, 'cuz Fred was always there makin' 'em.
Where you've heard it
If you were born in the 90s or after, you've probably never heard anyone say, "Time to make the donuts," unless it was, you know, actually time to make donuts. But really, do people even make homemade donuts anymore?
Additional Notable References:
- Will Ferrell actually starred in a Saturday Night Live skit that featured a fake final Fred the Baker commercial.
- "Time to Make the Donuts" is actually a book.
- The inside story on Michael Vale, otherwise known as Fred the Baker.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Well, it's not really pretentious to drop a reference that most people won't understand. You just might sound a little weird or outdated. So we dare you: say "It's time to make the donuts" and see what happens.