A mister no more: Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral
Mr and Mrs Potato Head go gender neutral – to just ‘Potato Head’ after makers Hasbro says 70-year toy needed to break from gender norms
- Hasbro revealed Thursday it is giving the spud the gender-neutral new name
- The Mr. and Mrs. pronouns will be dropped from the toy’s characters
- The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall giving children free rein to create gendered or non-gendered characters
- The new range will include box sets that don’t present the traditional family structure so children can make same-sex or single-parent potato families
- The rebrand has sparked debate on social media with some people calling the move ‘woke’ and ‘absurd’
- Mr. Potato Head first hit the shelves back in 1952 as a kit of plastic body parts and accessories for children to stick onto a real potato to create a character
- It was an overnight success with more than one million kits sold in the first year
- The toy has evolved over the years into full Potato Head families
- The toy regained popularity when Mr. Potato Head became a central character in the Disney Pixar film Toy Story
- The rebrand comes as toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to kids today
Mr. Potato Head has gone gender neutral as toy maker Hasbro announced it is changing the name of the 70-year-old toy because it needs to break free from gender norms.
Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, revealed in a presentation to investors Thursday that it is giving the iconic spud the gender-neutral new name of Potato Head.
The Mrs. pronoun will also be dropped from the toy’s spouse Mrs. Potato Head.
Instead, 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 in line with changing societal roles.
The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall.
Out with the old: Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year.
In with the new: The new Potato Family Pack ‘Create Your Potato Head Family’ kits 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 (the new range above)
Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head appearing in Toy Story 2 in 1999 propelling them to renewed popularity
‘Launching this Fall, the CREATE YOUR POTATO HEAD FAMILY is a celebration of the many faces of families,’ Hasbro said as it announced the reimagined brand.
‘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 look with a ‘whimsical color palette and more inclusive messaging’, the company said.
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.
‘Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences,’ Boyd told Fast Company.
‘The way the brand currently exists – with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ – is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.’
Boyd said the toy is a ‘sweet spot’ for children aged two to three years old.
‘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,’ she said.
The rebrand will now mean children can create potato families that are more in line with their own, she said.
The traditional Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head dolls will still ‘live on as part of the brand,’ a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. They did not elaborate on what this will entail.
The toy will also be more sustainably made with less plastic packaging and the toy itself made from plant-based plastic.
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
The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall and aims to cater to changing societal roles
Both Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head were still listed on Hasbro’s website under their gendered names as of Thursday afternoon.
The rebrand has sparked 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.’
Another fumed: ‘Woke-o Haram strikes again. How soon will Toy Story have to be re-edited to get rid of Mrs Potato Head?’
Many people questioned what this means for the future of Mrs. Potato Head as well.
‘What I want to know is are they retiring Mrs. Potato Head?’ one person tweeted.
‘Does Mrs. Potato Head know?’ another person asked.
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 mister.
A Disney Store Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head playset. The toy regained popularity when Mr. Potato Head became a central character in the Disney Pixar film Toy Story
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 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
‘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.
One person pointed out that Hasbro’s name could also do with a rebrand to make it more gender neutral.
‘Mr. Potato Head is now gender neutral! They will go by Potato Head! I want to know if HasBRO can go gender neutral too?’ they tweeted.
Another also suggested a revamp for the toymaker: ‘Hasbro will now also be going by ‘Has-sibling’.’
Meanwhile others welcomed the move to become more gender neutral.
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
‘If your masculinity is so fragile that you are offended by Hasbro renaming Potato Head, that’s sad dude,’ one person tweeted.
The rebrand of the childhood favorite comes as toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to kids today.
Barbie has shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes.
Thomas the Tank Engine added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
However, many toys continue to promote heterosexual relationships and family structures.
Classic Mr. Potato Heads are displayed February 5, 2002 at a 50th birthday party for the popular children’s toy at Hasbros showroom in New York City
Mr. Potato Head arrives at the world premiere of Toy Story 3 in Los Angeles in 2010
The toy has taken on other guises over the years such as in the role of a pirate
———————————————————————–
A history of Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head was the brainchild of inventor George Lerner, who thought children might be more likely to eat vegetables if they had fun characters.
Lerner first made a set of silly face parts as bonuses for cereal box promotions before his creation was acquired in 1952 by the Hassenfeld brothers – who would go on to rebrand as Hasbro.
Mr. Potato Head hit the shelves that year as a kit of plastic body parts and accessories for children to stick onto a real potato to create a character.
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.
Mr. Potato Head made history as the first toy ever to be promoted through its own television commercial.
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.
Soon the toy evolved into a full potato family complete with brother Spud, sister Yam, various pets, as well as a car and trailer.
The popular toy came with its first plastic potato body in 1964.
Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 with Slinky, Rex and Buzz Lightyear
Mr. Potato Head continued to evolve over the years and take on other guises years such as a pirate.
But it has always stuck with gendered roles until now.
In 1987, the company dropped the pipe accessory from the toy amid concerns of promoting smoking habits to children.
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.
In 2012, Hasbro released a 60th wedding anniversary edition of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
