Explained: Why was “Mr” removed from “Mr Potato Head” toys?

Toy manufacturing company Hasbro decided to rename “Mr Potato Head”, by removing “Mr” from the title. The company, however, has stated that the characters Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are “not going anywhere” and will continue to be referred to in the same way.

“Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere! While it was announced today that the brand name and logo POTATO HEAD are dropping the “MR”. I am proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD, ”the company said on Twitter.

Other brands in Hasbro’s portfolio include Monopoly, Playskool, Marvel, and Transformers.

What is Mr Potato Head?

Mr Potato Head is a line of toys made up of different body parts and accessories such as hat, ears, nose, shoes, pants and a plastic potato body that children can assemble on their own to form different figures.

According to an archived webpage on the Hasbro website, the Mr. Potato Head “personality” was born in 1952 and was the first toy to be advertised on television.

However, the original Mr Potato Head toy only included body parts, including eyes, ears, nose and mouth. This meant that parents had to provide their children with real potatoes or some other type of vegetable to complete the figurine. However, that changed in the early 1960s when the toy maker started including a hard plastic potato body, which replaced the need to attach a real potato.

According to “The Strong,” which describes itself as a collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of the game, the idea of ​​the toy was first imagined by toy inventor George Lerner, ” who thought vegetables with a little personality might stand a better chance (and) created a set of silly face parts as a bonus for the cereal box promotions. “

An article published in Takeaway meals says that around the time Lerner was thinking of the idea, World War II had just ended due to which people like him would often take potatoes and other sturdy vegetables from the garden to create raw dolls for the children of the family.

Lerner’s creation was acquired by Hasbro in 1952 and Mr. Potato Head was followed by Mrs. Potato Head, Spud, his brother, and Yam, his sister. In 1995 and 1998, Mr. Potato Head was featured in the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 animated film series.

So why is the company changing its brand?

Reports suggest the company is changing its name in an attempt to give the brand a gender-neutral makeover. In a press release, the company announced that it is officially renaming the line of toys sold under the Mr Potato Head brand “to better reflect the full line”.

While some praised the move, others criticized the company, saying the move gave conservatives more food to poke fun at LGBTQ people.