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Mr. Potato Head

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For the Louis Armstrong composition, see Potato Head Blues. For the Toy Story character, see List of Toy Story characters § Mr. Potato Head.

Mr. Potato Head
Inventor(s)George Lerner
Company
CountryUnited States
Availability1952–present
Materials

Mr. Potato Head is an American toy brand produced by Hasbro since 1952. It consists of a plastic model of a potato "head" to which a variety of plastic parts can attach — typically ears, eyes, shoes, hat, nose, pants and mouth.

Mr. Potato Head was invented and manufactured by George Lerner in 1949, but was first distributed by Hasbro in 1952.[1] It was the first toy advertised on television[2][3] and has remained in production since.

In its original form, Mr. Potato Head was offered as separate plastic parts with pushpins to be affixed to a real potato or other vegetable. Due to complaints regarding rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro began including a plastic potato body with the toy set in 1964.[4] The original toy was subsequently joined by Mrs. Potato Head and supplemented with accessories including a car and boat trailer.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head both appeared in the Toy Story franchise, voiced by Don Rickles and Estelle Harris, respectively. Additionally, in 1998, The Mr. Potato Head Show aired but was short-lived, with only one season being produced.[5] As one of the prominent marks of Hasbro, a Mr. Potato Head balloon has also joined others in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[6] Toy Story Midway Mania!, in Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, also features a large talking Mr. Potato Head.[7]

Hasbro updated the brand in 2021, dropping the honorific in the name and marketing the toy simply as Potato Head, while retaining the individual characters of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.[8]

History[edit]

In the early 1940s, Brooklyn-born toy inventor George Lerner came up with the idea of inserting small, pronged body and face parts into fruits and vegetables to create a "funny face man". Some speculate he got the idea from his wife's nephew Aaron Bradley, who was seen placing sticks inside of potatoes in the family garden.[2] Lerner would often take potatoes from his mother's garden and, using various other fruits and vegetables as facial features, he would make dolls with which his younger sisters could play. The grape-eyed, carrot-nosed, potato-headed dolls became the principal idea behind the plastic toy which would later be manufactured.

The original 1952 version of Mr. Potato Head

On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. The campaign was also the first to be aimed directly at children; before this, commercials were only targeted at adults, including toy advertisements.[9] The commercial revolutionized marketing, and caused an industrial boom. Over one million kits were sold in the first year.[2] In 1953, a Mrs. Potato Head variant was added, and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the family, followed by accessories reflecting the affluence of the 1950s: a car, boat trailer,[10] kitchen set, stroller, and pets marketed as Spud-ettes. Originally produced as separate plastic parts to be attached to a real potato or other vegetable,[1] however in the early 1960s, government regulations forced the Potato Head parts to be less sharp, leaving them unable to puncture vegetables easily. Children were also choking on the small pieces or cutting themselves with the sharp pieces, so by 1964, the company included a plastic potato "body" in its kit.[11] About this time, Hasbro introduced Oscar the Orange and Pete the Pepper, a plastic orange and green pepper with attachable face parts similar to Mr. Potato Head's. Each came with Mr. Potato Head in a separate kit. Female characters Katie the Carrot and Cooky the Cucumber also made an appearance. Hasbro also made a fast food based line called Mr. Potato Head's Picnic Pals. Some characters were Mr. Soda Pop Head and Frankie Frank. The friends and pals were later discontinued, but Funko revived Oscar and Pete as bobbleheads (along with a Mr. Potato Head bobblehead) in 2002.[citation needed]

In 1975, the main potato part of the toy doubled in size and the dimensions of its accessories were similarly increased. This was done mainly because of new toy child safety regulations that were introduced by the U.S. government. The size change increased the market to younger children, enabling them to play and attach the facial pieces easily. Hasbro also replaced the holes with flat slats, allowing only one possible orientation for the attached parts. In 1983, Hasbro reduced the range of accessories for Mr. Potato Head to one set of parts. The company reintroduced round holes in the main potato body, and once again parts were able to go onto the toy in any orientation.[citation needed]

In 1985, Mr. Potato Head received four postal votes in the run for mayor of Boise, Idaho in the "most votes for Mr. Potato Head in a political campaign" as verified by Guinness World Records.[12]

In 1987, Mr. Potato Head became "Spokespud" for the annual Great American Smokeout and surrendered his pipe to Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in Washington, D.C.[1]

In 1990, Mr. Potato Head's arms were molded into plastic with the "waving" gesture, which became removable.

In 1995, Mr. Potato Head was featured in a leading role in the Disney/Pixar animated feature Toy Story,[1] with the voice provided by comedian Don Rickles. Potato Head returned in Toy Story's three sequels - Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019) - with Rickles reprising the role.

In 1995, Mr. Potato Head Pals was made. This box has hats, mouths, and pairs of shoes in different colors. It also has four bodies and eight hands while the eyes and nose are the same and four cards and every card has each name and a spinner is also included.[13]

In 1995, a computer game called "Mr. Potato Head Saves Veggie Valley" was released by Hasbro Interactive, aimed at young children.

In 2000, Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York.[14]

In 2006, Hasbro also began to sell sets of pieces without bodies for customers to add to their collections. Some of these themed sets included Chef, Construction Worker, Firefighter, Halloween, King, Mermaid, Police Officer, Pirate, Princess, Rockstar, and Santa Claus. In the same year, Hasbro introduced a line called "Sports Spuds"[15] with a generic plastic potato (smaller than the standard size) customized to a wide variety of professional and collegiate teams.

Since 2010, new models of the Mr. Potato Head toys have been produced.[16]

In 2020, Hasbro announced a sustainable version of the toy known as Mr. Potato Head Goes Green. This version was made from plant-based plastic derived from sugarcane.[17]

In February 2021, Hasbro announced a new gender-neutral version of the toy line, dropping the formal gender titles,[18] unveiling a new "Potato Head" logo, and offering an expanded playset.[19] While continuing to offer the classic Mr. and Mrs. characters, Hasbro was praised by some for being progressive, while others called it a "PR stunt".[20][21][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Mr Potato Head". Museum of Childhood website. V&A Museum of Childhood. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Walsh, Tim (2005). Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Made Them. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5571-4.
  3. ^ "About Mr. Potato Head". Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  4. ^ "The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD". Children's Museum Indianapolis Website. Children's Museum Indianapolis. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  5. ^ "The Mr. Potato Head Show". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Suddath, Claire (November 27, 2008). "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". Time. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008.
  7. ^ "Toy Story Mania! | Walt Disney World Resort". Disneyworld.disney.go.com. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Diaz, Johnny (February 25, 2021). "Mr. Potato Head Brand Goes Gender Neutral". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "Is Mr Potato Head to blame for 'pester power' ads?". BBC News. April 30, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  10. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Vintage Original Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head commercial 1960s". YouTube. January 26, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "The 1960s". Mrpotatohead.net. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "The Eyes Have It in Idaho, Where Mr. Potato Head Is Running For Mayor of Boise". Peoples Magazine. November 4, 1985. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  13. ^ https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Mr._PH_Pals_Mix_n_Match.PDF
  14. ^ "Mr. Potato Head - The Strong National Museum of Play". www.museumofplay.org. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "PPW Toys". Sports-spuds.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  16. ^ "Mr. Potato Head gets off the couch. Meet Hasbro's skinnier spud". Time.com. February 24, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "Hasbro Grows Sustainability with Mr. Potato Head Goes Green". Hasbro Corporate.
  18. ^ Pacheco, Inti. "Mr. Potato Head Isn't Going Away. Meet the New Potato Head Family". WSJ. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "UPDATE: Potato Head brand says it's keeping 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.'". Fox 59. February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Mr Potato Head to lose "Mr" title in gender-neutral rebrand". BBC News. February 25, 2021.
  21. ^ Pisani, Joseph (February 25, 2021). "A mister no more: Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral". CP24.

External links[edit]

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