Roll that beautiful bean footage again, Sam. On July 3rd, the BUSH’S Beans Facebook account shared news that Sam, a golden retriever that had portrayed their brand mascot Duke in commercial spots, had passed away.
While it has been years since Sam last worked with the brand, BUSH’S Beans expressed sadness over his passing and gratitude to have had Sam portray Duke. The brand also noted in the same post that since he is an iconic character and beloved by fans, Duke will continue to be used in future BUSH’S Beans ads.
As one of the most memorable real-life dogs in advertising, Duke has long been man’s best friend to Jay Bush, the brand ambassador and great-grandson of BUSH’S Beans founder A.J. Bush.
Outside of Jay, Duke is the only one who knows the secret family recipe for BUSH’S Beans. Jay specifically entrusted Duke with the recipe since he knows that Duke can’t speak and sell it to the public… Or can he?
Part of “The Bean Life” for Duke means spending time with Jay and shaking paws with BUSH’S Beans fans. Duke often makes public appearances for meet and greets with the brand’s fanbase. In fact, BUSH’S Beans has a direct quote from Duke on their site stating that Duke loves every minute of being their spokesdog.