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“It’s time for the Republican states to secede,” media analyst Mark Dice wrote on Twitter for his more than 600,000 followers and included a news article. Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro also tweeted sarcastically about the story, while radio host Eric Erick Erickson added more teasing. What made them angry? Mr. Potato Head, or rather, the possibility of the Hasbro toy company dropping the “Mr.” of its title for a more inconclusive genre image. Anyone worried about his loss of distinction can now rest easy knowing that he technically won’t be.
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Today, perhaps in an attempt to stem the criticism which also included Fox News’ Sean Hannity who was leading a segment under the headline “Mr. Potato Head Canceled, ”Hasbro followed up on yesterday’s announcement that Mr. Potato Head would now be sold under the more neutral monicker title of Potato Head. The company clarified that the toy line would receive the name change from “Mr. Potato Head” to “Potato Head” this fall, but that the actual character of Mr. Potato Head would retain its masculine distinction of being a “Sir. “
In a tweet today, Hasbro wrote: “Hold that Tot – your main spud, Mr. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere! As it was announced today that the brand’s name and logo POTATO HEAD abandon the “MR.” I am proud to confirm that Mr. and Mrs. POTATO HEAD are not going anywhere and will remain Mr. and Mrs. POTATO HEAD. “
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 pic.twitter.com/6I84KrxOLQ
– Hasbro (@Hasbro) 25 February 2021
While Mr. Potato Head and his wife Spud, Ms. Potato Head, still have the prefixes attached to their names in a photo of the new, unpublished boxes of the toys included in the tweet, the names are less prominently than before. Their names now appear at the bottom of the package and in a smaller font than the more colorful “potato head” adorning the top.
Mark Dice’s sarcastic call to action on Twitter is featured below.
It is time for the Republican states to secede.
– Mark Dice (@MarkDice) 25 February 2021
After a previous tweet reading “MR POTATO HEAD 1953-2021, Hasbro: He was” limited when it comes to gender identity “,” Sean Hannity apparently expressed his joy by writing “Mr. Potato Head Lives!” regarding the more recent announcement of the character retaining his male title.
Not everyone was outraged by the announcement of Potato Head. Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s communications director, applauded the move. “Hasbro helps children see toys simply as toys, which encourages them to be authentic themselves outside the pressures of traditional gender norms,” he said in a statement.
Kaya Burgess from London Times pointed out that critics were getting angry before they even read the fine print that said it was just the toy line and not the characters getting an updated name. However, much of the confusion was created by Hasbro itself, when the company’s senior vice president and general manager said the following in an interview with Fast company: “Children want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand exists now – with the ‘Mr.’ and “Ms.” – is restrictive with regard to both gender identity and family structure. “
Could it be because the cover is misleading? Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head * will remain * Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
It is the global brand / logo that simply becomes “Potato Head”. pic.twitter.com/lE3YeNkszV
– Kaya Burgess (@kayaburgess) February 26, 2021
Mr. Potato Head is not the first toy in recent years to try to adapt to more progressive cultural attitudes. Other examples include the Barbie line expanding its list of options to include dolls of different skin tones and body shapes; American Girl selling boys dolls; and Mattel’s line of non-sexist dolls known as “Creatable World”, which first launched in 2019.
Hasbro
The new Potato Head range will be available this fall. Included in the new designs is a Create Your Potato Head Family set that includes baby and two adults with different accessories and faces to create any combination of potato heads kids love. Images released by Hasbro for the Create Your Potato Head family show that the box represents what could be interpreted as two potato mothers and another with a pair of potato fathers.
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