By offering a toy that exists outside of the binary of male and female, Hasbro is helping kids to simply see toys as toys, which encourages them to be their authentic selves outside of the pressures of traditional gender norms,” said Rich Ferraro, a spokesperson for the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD. News of the name change emerged at an investors meeting on Thursday. Hasbro later tweeted about it, assuring fans that although the brand name is changing, the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head “aren’t going anywhere.” Those character names will still appear on the boxes under the new brand name. On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. The campaign was also the first to be aimed directly at children; before this, commercials were only targeted at adults, including toy advertisements. [9] The commercial revolutionized marketing, and caused an industrial boom. Over one million kits were sold in the first year. [2] In 1953, a Mrs. Potato Head variant was added, and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the family, followed by accessories reflecting the affluence of the 1950s: a car, boat trailer, [10] kitchen set, stroller, and pets marketed as Spud-ettes. Originally produced as separate plastic parts to be attached to a real potato or other vegetable, [1] however in the early 1960s, government regulations forced the Potato Head parts to be less sharp, leaving them unable to puncture vegetables easily. Children were also choking on the small pieces or cutting themselves with the sharp pieces, so by 1964, the company included a plastic potato "body" in its kit. [11] About this time, Hasbro introduced Oscar the Orange and Pete the Pepper, a plastic orange and green pepper with attachable face parts similar to Mr. Potato Head's. Each came with Mr. Potato Head in a separate kit. Female characters Katie the Carrot and Cooky the Cucumber also made an appearance. Hasbro also made a fast food based line called Mr. Potato Head's Picnic Pals. Some characters were Mr. Soda Pop Head and Frankie Frank. The friends and pals were later discontinued, but Funko revived Oscar and Pete as bobbleheads (along with a Mr. Potato Head bobblehead) in 2002. [ citation needed]

The toy helped inspire the classic Macintosh software toy Tuberling by John Calhoun of Soft Dorothy Software, [26] which was later reimplemented for the K Desktop Environment as KTuberling. [27] a b Diaz, Johnny (February 25, 2021). "Mr. Potato Head Brand Goes Gender Neutral". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved February 25, 2021. Mr. Potato Head is an American toy brand consisting of a plastic model of a potato "head" to which a variety of plastic parts can attach — typically ears, eyes, shoes, hat, nose, pants and mouth. Starting in the 2000s, Mr. and Mrs Potato Head also starred in commercials for other brands. An example is an ad for Lay's Potato Chips where Mr. Potato Head comes home to see Mrs. Potato Head eating them despite being a potato herself. At the end Mr. Potato Head joins in and tells her to keep it their "little secret". [28] In 2020, Hasbro announced a sustainable version of the toy known as Mr. Potato Head Goes Green. This version was made from plant-based plastic derived from sugarcane. [14]In February 2021 Hasbro announced a new gender-neutral version of the toy line, dropping the formal gender titles, unveiling a new "Potato Head" logo, and offering an expanded playset. While continuing to offer the classic Mr. and Mrs. characters, Hasbro was praised by some for being progressive, while others called it a "PR stunt". [15] [16] [8] Versions [ edit ] In its original form, Mr. Potato Head was offered as separate plastic parts with pushpins to be attached into a real potato or other vegetable. Due to complaints regarding rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro began including a plastic potato body with the toy set in 1964. [4] The original toy was subsequently joined by Mrs. Potato Head and supplemented with accessories including a car and boat trailer. Mr. Potato Head was invented and manufactured by George Lerner in 1949, but was first distributed by Hasbro in 1952. [1] It was the first toy advertised on television [2] [3] and has remained in production since. Optimash Prime Mr. Potato Head Transformer". Uncrate. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012 . Retrieved February 10, 2013.

The 1960s". Mrpotatohead.net. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011 . Retrieved May 23, 2011. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link)Donaghey, River (2019-04-01). " 'Mr. Avo Head' Is the Worst Branded April Fool's Stunt of the Year". Vice . Retrieved 2021-09-12. TOTS" OF FUN CHARACTERS: You can collect all 6 characters, including tots dressed as a cupcake, pancakes, ice cream, banana, pineapple, and an apple. (Each sold separately, subject to availability)