Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Potato haven’t gone anywhere. (Photo by Michael Kovac / Getty Images … [+]
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Mr. Potato Head rarely manages to make headlines; if your child is not Toy Story obsessive, the ancient spud is not a hot thing.
Surprisingly, however, Hasbro managed to bring the toy to the center of attention after announcing his release of the “Mr. ”From the Potato head brand, in an effort to ensure that “everyone in the Potato head world. ”
I’m not sure if too many buyers were ever too scared to buy Potato Head based on their identity, but the idea is certainly making good fodder for the culture war. Believe it or not, LGBT activists have far more concerns than removing the “Mr” from Potato Head.
In fact, the suspects took to Twitter to mock the news (and to be fair, the way the rebranding was designed is really funny).
Call me, but I don’t think corporations are ignorant that in 2021 the direct reference to the word “gender” tends to generate an disproportionate amount of speech. After all, we live in a time where traditional gender norms are being challenged, and the subject tends to arouse anger and controversy; even innocuous events like sex parties have sparked wildfires, and caused deaths.
“They made Mr. Potato Head non-existent,” is a good place to talk if one is trying to paint LGBT activists as ideologically poisoned, heavy with the language of the police. But in reality, Mr. Potato Head did not leave. And Mrs. didn’t have a Potato Head.
Hasbro hasn’t taken sex away from the toy – they continue to sell Mr. and Mrs. Potato, unchanged. Only the branding on the box has been changed to “Potato Head.”
That’s it – that’s the story. It’s a simple rebrand, designed as an act of empathy, certainly used as a fuel for culture war, generating headlines, hot events, and Twitter fun.
It won’t make the life of the LGBT community safer, but it does lead to renewed relevance for the Potato Head brand. Of course, the rebranding was put in place in good time, hitting headlines along with going through the Equality Act.
Whatever your opinion on the change, I’m sure you can agree – Hasbro’s marketing division deserves a boost.