Bella Breakdown
The classic Hasbro toy Mr. Potatoe Head is getting a makeover for an all-inclusive spud doll for a modern representation of family and gender norms. In the past, Mr. Potatoe Head has adhered to traditional family and gender norms with the family consisting of father Mr. Potatoe Head, mother Mrs. Potatoe Head, and baby Potatoe Head but this classic toy will enter the gender-neutral market.
What I love about my job is that sometimes I write about human rights and other times I write about how Mr Potato Head can now be in a same sex relationship. // https://t.co/NRkfS3h2rL
— Dr. Elizabeth Segran (@LizSegran) February 25, 2021
The Mr. Potatoe Head collection will feature a new family set with new gender-neutral packaging featuring images of same-sex and heterosexual couples with the goal of promoting inclusivity with the classic toy. Another small yet massive change to the toy will be the dropping of “Mr.” from all the packaging with a simple rebranding to “Potatoe Head.” The creator of Mr. Potatoe Head, Hasbro, wanted to create an updated version of the classic toy for all families including single-parents and same-sex parents alongside the traditional family that was launched by Hasbro in 1952.
This toy has come a long way since the initial launch in 1952 that only featured the accessories and families had to provide their own real potatoes to play with. The following year, Hasbro created Mrs. Potatoe Head with feminine accessories to increase the popularity of the toy along with a creative marketing strategy.
Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD pic.twitter.com/6I84KrxOLQ
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) February 25, 2021
Potatoe Heads were the first toys to be marketed directly to kids with sensation success with Hasbro with more than one million Potatoe Head kits sold in the first year. The new rebranding of Potatoe Head might be changing some of the classic elements of the toy but will stay true to the initial idea behind the toy of kids creating their own toys to play with that can reflect their unique family.
