The toy-making company Hasbro has made a decision rebranding ‘Mr Potato Head’, dropping ‘Mr’ from the title. The company said, however, that the characters Mr and Mrs Potato Head are “not going anywhere”, and that the same will be named.
“Keep that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere! While it was announced today that the name and logo of POTATO HEAD lowered the ‘MR.’ I am proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere and will stay MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD, ”the company said on Twitter.
Other brands in the Hasbro package include Monopoly, Playskool, Marvel and Transformers.
What is a Potato Head?
Mr. Potato Head is a line of toys made up of various body parts and hats such as a hat, ears, nose, shoes, pants and a potato-shaped plastic body that children can assemble on their own to create different figures.
According to an archive web page of Hasbro’s website, Mr. Potato Head’s “personality” was born in 1952 and was the first toy advertised on television.
However, the first Mr. Potato Head toy consisted only of body parts including eyes, ears, nose and mouth. This meant that parents had to give their children real potatoes or any other type of vegetable to fill the toy figure. This changed, however, in the early 1960s when the toy maker began introducing a plastic hard potato body, which replaced the need to tie real potatoes.
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According to “The Strong”, which describes itself as a museum based on collections dedicated to the history and study of play, the idea for the toy was first conceived by toy engineer George Lerner, “a who reported that vegetables with a slight personality could have a better chance (and) create a set of silly face parts as bonuses for a corn box boost. ”
Article published in An Takeout says at the time Lerner came up with this idea, World War II had just come to an end because people like him often removed potatoes and other strong vegetables from the garden to create raw dolls. for children in the family.
Lerner’s creation was acquired by Hasbro in 1952 and Mr. Potato Head was succeeded by Mrs. Potato Head, Spud, his brother, and Yam, his sister. In 1995 and 1998, Mr. Potato Head appeared in the animated film series Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
So why is the company rebranding?
News reports indicate that the company is changing its name in an effort to bring a gender-neutral renewal to the brand. In a press release, the company said it was officially renaming the line of toys sold under the Mr Potato Head brand “to better reflect the whole line”.
While some have welcomed the decision, others have criticized the company, saying the move gives conservatives more fodder to ridicule LGBTQ people.