Dreams Come True

When Dudley Du-Not heard that his biggest fan in Detroit wanted to meet him, there was no holding him back.  The Ernest mascot/Cautionary Tale Coordinator immediately got his icing retouched and hit the road. And when a donut says, “Let’s roll!” he means it.

As soon as Ona Ventour, Client Coordinator in our Detroit division, learned he was on his way, she started making plans for giving her almost five-year-old daughter and Dudley super-fan, Ava, the great news. On the morning of the big day, Ava was excited to grab her Dudley plushie and head to work with mom.

Ava has always enjoyed the “spinny chairs” at mom’s office, but this time she got to take a full tour.  When she arrived, the first thing that caught her eye was the welcome sign at the front desk. Using her newly minted reading skills, she excitedly told her mom, “It says Ava on the screen!” She also quickly picked out Dudley’s picture on the office walls. She asked her mom, “Does he live here?  Or does he work with you all?”

She knew when she got to the conference room that was decorated for her visit with Dudley that she was in for a treat! And it was all high fives and fist bumps when Dudley entered the room. The two took a tour through the warehouse. They played with balloons. And Ava showed him some of her moves from ballet class.  She even let him hold her cherished Dudley plushie (a very meta moment for our Du-Not).

When it was time for Ava to head off to school, she tried hard to convince her mom that she would be an asset to the office. “So, I have an idea,” she cajoled. “What if I just stayed with you? And Dudley?” But all sweet moments must come to an end and Ona had to bundle Ava off to school with some goodies and great Dudley memories.

That evening, Ava called her dad, her uncle, and then her two grandmas to tell them all about meeting her pastry hero. She shared, “I worked with mom today and we met Mr. Doug-e-ly. We ate food. They brought me all the gifts. They love me.” No wonder Ava is all-in on Ernest.  Sounds like she’s ready for that internship. And Dudley is ready to hit the road! Where will he be spotted next? We’re baking a Dudley fan club site for all the latest updates, so stay tuned.