Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Are Going Gender Neutral

After nearly 70 years, the toys known as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head will become simply Dad and Mom Potato Head this fall as the iconic toy line is rebranded as “Potato Head.” This is part of an effort by parent company Hasbro to take a step back from traditional notions of gender identity and family structure. The toy giant will also release a Create Your Potato Head Family set, which, for $19.99, includes two large potato bodies, one small potato body and 42 accessories, so each potato family can have up to two parents and a baby. This “lets kids imagine and create Potato Head families,” a spokesperson told Adweek. “Kids can have fun expressing themselves and creating lots of wacky looks,” she added. “There's no wrong way to play when mixing and mashing the parts and pieces.” This, of course, gives children the option to create same-sex or single-parent Potato Head families—and to dress male and female potatoes however they please. ‘The character has a long history of changing with the times’ The development follows the introduction of a green Mr. Potato Head in October, which was manufactured with plastic made from sugarcane. The toy giant said it was “the first Hasbro product made with plant-based plastic and virtually plastic-free packaging.” Hasbro also noted its learnings from Mr. Potato Head Goes Green will help inform the use of recycled and renewable materials in other toy lines, like Nerf and Play-Doh. “The character has a long history of changing with the times, from surrendering his pipe as part of the Great American Smokeout in 1987, to giving up his 'couch potato' lifestyle and receiving a Presidential Sports Award from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1992, and more recently receiving a makeover and sprouting new legs in 2011,” the brand said in a release. “As Hasbro continues to evolve its product line, lessen its impact on the environment and move toward more sustainable materials, we are beginning with Mr. Potato Head, one of Hasbro’s most iconic characters.” 'A set of silly face parts' Per the National Toy Hall of Fame, which inducted Mr. Potato Head in 2000, inventor George Lerner originally created “a set of silly face parts” to encourage kids to eat their vegetables. When Hasbro acquired Mr. Potato Head in 1952, he was of course made with an actual potato. Shortly thereafter, he became the first toy ever advertised on TV. Mrs. Potato Head joined him in 1953, which the Toy Hall of Fame says was followed by brother Spud, sister Yam, various pets, a car and trailer. The potatoes went plastic in 1964. Thirty years later, Mr. Potato Head hit the big screen in the Disney movie Toy Story. Mrs. Potato Head joined him in the 1998 sequel. read more: Hasbro and Ogilvy Created a Simple, Lovely Ad About Why Boys Should Play With Dolls

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Are Going Gender Neutral

They’re also leaving identity and family structure up to kids

Lisa Lacy

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Lisa Lacy