Piers Morgan launches furious rant over Mr Potato Head becoming gender neutral
‘So just a potato then?’: Mr Potato Head fans are left baffled after classic toy gets gender-neutral rebrand – as Piers Morgan blasts ‘woke imbeciles destroying the world’
- Hasbro revealed it was giving the popular toys a gender-neutral new name
- The Mr and Mrs titles will now be dropped to ‘break free from gender norms’
- Move sparked a furious backlash with Piers Morgan slamming ‘woke imbeciles’
Toy giant Hasbro is facing backlash today after announcing a rebranding of Mr and Mrs Potato Head which will see the iconic toys become gender neutral.
Mr Potato Head has now been made gender neutral, with Hasbro changing the branding of the 70-year-old figure in a bid to ‘break free from gender norms.’
The change – which will drop the ‘Mr’ from Mr Potato Head brand – has sparked fevered debate, with many accusing Hasbro of bending to ‘woke’ culture by changing a cultural icon that has been on toy shelves since 1952.
Piers Morgan is among the critics hitting out at ‘woke imbeciles’ with others pointing out the character ‘identified as male’ in the Pixar smash hit, Toy Story.
US company Hasbro, which revealed the change in a presentation to investors on Thursday, said the gender-neutral name comes as societal roles change; with increasing numbers of single-parent households and same-sex parents.
Piers Morgan is among the critics hitting out at ‘woke imbeciles’ in the wake of the announcement today
One social media user shared the script which shows Mr Potato Head correcting Woody when he fails to address him as Mister
Social media users reacted to the news by saying the removal of the Mr makes the toy ‘just a potato’
‘So just a potato then?’ questioned another Twitter user in a post on social media
OUT WITH THE OLD: The old-style potato family, pictured above, will be retired. The change will appear on boxes this year, Hasbro said
IN WITH THE NEW: The new Potato Family Pack ‘Create Your Potato Head Family’ kits, pictured above, launching this fall will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories so children can create opposite-sex or same-sex parents
IN THE MOVIES: Mr and Mrs Potato Head appearing in Toy Story 2 in 1999, which propelled them to renewed popularity. No word from Disney on whether the rebrand would affect the movies
Hasbro later insisted on Twitter Mr and Mrs Potato Head will still exist as separate characters in the ‘Potato Head’ lineup sharing new versions of the gendered characters (above)
It remains unclear how the rebrand will affect the Toy Story film series where Mr and Mrs Potato Head have starring roles.
Mr and Mrs Potato Head will exist as separate characters in the ‘Potato Head’ lineup. So while customers won’t see ‘Mr Potato Head’ on the toy box’s main branding, they’ll still be able to pick up a Mr or Mrs Potato Head from store shelves.
The new Potato Family Pack ‘Create Your Potato Head Family’ kits will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories.
Children will then be able to make gendered or non-gendered characters, and same-sex, single-parent or traditional potato families, in line with what the company says are ‘changing societal roles.’
The rebranded toy will hit shelves later this year.
Hasbro announced: ‘Launching this Fall, the CREATE YOUR POTATO HEAD FAMILY is a celebration of the many faces of families.
‘Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr from the Mr Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion.’
The name change will come with a fresh branding with a ‘whimsical colour palette and more inclusive messaging’, the company added.
Hasbro Senior Vice President Kimberly Boyd said the toy’s current gender identities were ‘limiting’ to children and in need of a modern makeover.
She said: ‘Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand currently exists – with the ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ – is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.
‘Kids like dressing up the toy, then playing out scenarios from their life. This often takes the form of creating little potato families because they’re learning what it means to be in a family.’
The new look: The new Potato Family Pack ‘Create Your Potato Head Family’ kits will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories
Children will then be able to make gendered or non-gendered characters, and same-sex or single-parent potato families – along with making traditional families
The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall and aims to cater to changing societal roles
The rebrand will now mean children from non-traditional families can create potato families that are more in line with their own, she added.
The toy will also be made from plant-based plastic.
One social media user shared a clip of Toy Story when Mr Potato Head corrects the character Woody when he fails to address him as Mr.
‘Throw back Thursday to when Mr Potato Head admonished Woody when he wouldn’t respect his pronouns. ‘That’s Mister Potato Head to you, you backstabbing murderer (Hasbro)!’ they tweeted.
Both Mr Potato Head and Mrs Potato Head were still listed on Hasbro’s website under their gendered names as of Thursday afternoon.
DailyMail.com has contacted Disney for comment.
The rebrand sparked fevered debate on social media with some people calling the move ‘woke’ and ‘absurd.’
‘What planet is #hasbro on? No Mr potato Head? Absurd I say,’ one person tweeted.
‘Mr Potato Head will always be… a potato. Hasbro can’t take away the genitals of a spud that never had any to begin with. #thiscountryisNUTS,’ another person tweeted.
‘Take your gender correct pronouns and stick them in Mr Potato Heads rear. #mrpotatohead #wokepolice.’
The new range will also include box sets that don’t present the traditional family structure so children can make same-sex or single-parent potato families in line with changing societal roles.
A 2011 Mr Potato Head range. Hasbro Senior Vice President Kimberly Boyd said the toy’s current gender identities were ‘limiting’ to children and were in need of a modern makeover
The rebrand has sparked debate on social media with some people calling the move ‘woke’ and ‘absurd’
Many people questioned what this means for the future of Mrs Potato Head as well
Others welcomed the news and called for the toymaker to also face a rebrand
One person used the announcement to poke fun at gender pay gaps on social media
The rebrand prompted this individual to slam the ‘snowflakes’ who were ‘taking over’
Others questioned what the rebrand means ‘for Mrs Potato Head’.
‘Does Mrs Potato Head know?’ one asked.
The rebrand of the childhood favourite comes as other toy makers launch updates to appeal, they say, to a broader spectrum of children.
Barbie has shed her blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes.
Thomas the Tank Engine added more female characters while American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
One man joked that Mr Potato head would instead be rebranded ‘Gender Equality Pomme De Terre’ on social media
A Twitter user referenced the toy’s title saying that his ‘brute force masculinity’ was his appeal
This social media post poked fun at the change to a ‘gender neutral’ toy by posting a picture of a regular potato
Another joked that the gender neutral toy would from now on be ‘known as mash’
Mr Potato Head arrives at the world premiere of Toy Story 3 in Los Angeles in 2010
A history of Mr Potato Head: From a post-war toy (minus the potato) to a Disney star – and now a gender-fluid family
Mr Potato Head was the brainchild of Brooklyn inventor George Lerner, who came up with the idea children could create fun characters by putting features on fruit and vegetables.
But despite its future worldwide success, the idea wasn’t an instant hit.
It was 1949 – just after the rationing of the Second World War – and playing with food was thought of as a waste.
Lerner made the first set of silly face parts and sold the idea to a cereal company which gave out the plastic parts in a box as a promotion.
In 1951, the inventor met the Hassenfeld brothers – who would go on to rebrand as Hasbro – who bought the rights from the cereal company for $7,000.
Mr Potato Head was the brainchild of Brooklyn inventor George Lerner, who came up with the idea children could create fun characters by putting features on fruit and vegetables. Lerner with his creation (after the potato body became plastic) in an undated image
A child playing with a Mr Potato Head in 1953. Mr Potato Head first hit the shelves in 1952 as a kit of plastic body parts and accessories for children to stick onto a real potato
The toy manufacturers struck a deal with Lerner to give him 5 percent royalties for every set sold and a $500 advance.
Mr Potato Head hit the shelves in 1952 as a kit of plastic body parts and accessories for children to stick onto a real potato to create a character.
The original toy cost $0.98.
The first toy kit included 28 features such as a nose, mouth, mustache and pipe as well as a Styrofoam head for children to practice on.
It did not come with the ‘potato head’ body but recommended children use a potato or other vegetable.
Mr Potato Head made history as the first toy ever to be promoted through its own television commercial.
Mr Potato Head made history as the first toy ever to be promoted through its own television commercial
It revolutionized the marketing industry as, before this, commercials only targeted adults
The advert, which premiered on April 30 1952, directly targeted children rather than parents.
It revolutionized the marketing industry as, before this, commercials only targeted adults.
It was an overnight success with more than one million kits sold in the first year and more than $4 million in sales in just the first few months.
The next year, Mrs Potato Head was born with a feminine accessory kit including high heels and hair bows.
There was also vegetable friends for the kids including Kate the Carrot, Pete the Pepper, Oscar the Orange, and Cookie Cucumber.
The kits also soon expanded to include an additional 50 pieces.
Classic Mr Potato Heads are displayed February 5, 2002 at a 50th birthday party for the popular children’s toy at Hasbro’s showroom in New York City
The popular toy came with its first plastic potato body in 1964.
The major development came as parents were complaining about finding moldy potatoes under their kids’ beds.
Around the same time, child safety laws were coming into effect including the Child Protection Act of 1966 and the 1969 Child Protection and Toy Safety Act.
Hasbro created larger plastic features for the toy and removed the sharp ends as parents were concerned about their kids swallowing small pieces and cutting themselves on the points.
The lovable figure even enjoyed a brief political career receiving four write-in votes in the mayoral election in Boise, Idaho in 1985.
The campaign saw Mr Potato Head enter the Guinness World Record for ‘most votes for Mr Potato Head in a political campaign’.
Mr Potato Head in Toy Story 2 with Slinky, Rex and Buzz Lightyear
The toy regained popularity when Mr Potato Head became a central character in the Disney Pixar film Toy Story in 1995 with comedian Don Rickles doing the voiceover
In 1987, the company dropped the pipe accessory from the toy amid concerns of promoting smoking habits to children and became the official face or ‘spokespud’ of the Great American Smokeout.
Five years later, the company starred in an early Public Service Announcement for the Presidents’ Council for Physical Fitness promoting fitness by renouncing its role as a ‘couch potato.’
In 1996, both Mr and Mrs Potato Head featured in an advertising campaign for the League of Women Voters.
The toy regained popularity when Mr Potato Head became a central character in the Disney Pixar film Toy Story in 1995 with comedian Don Rickles doing the voiceover.
Mrs Potato Head appeared in the sequel Toy Story 2 in 1999. Both characters also appeared in Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4.
A Disney Store Mr and Mrs Potato Head playset. Mrs Potato Head first appeared in Toy Story
The toy has taken on other guises over the years such as in the role of a pirate
The film sparked a revival of classic toys such as the Mr Potato Head range, as well as Slinky and Etch A Sketch.
In 2000, Mr Potato Head was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York.
In 2012, Hasbro released a 60th wedding anniversary edition of Mr and Mrs Potato Head.
Mr Potato Head continued to evolve over the years and take on other guises years such as a pirate, mermaid, rockstar, construction worker and Santa Claus.
It has also branched into themed characters such as Star Wars’ Darth Tater and Spiderman’s Spider Spud.
As well as the signature toy, there are branded puzzles, board games and video games among other potato-themed toys.
