
The “Potato Head” toys are getting a rebrand!
On Thursday, manufacturer Hasbro — which produces the plastic potato that can be decorated with a variety of parts — announced that the “Mr. Potato” brand will drop “Mr.” from its title.
Despite this, the company says the classic Mr. Potato and Mrs. Potato characters will remain the same.
“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,” they announced in a tweet.
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
In a statement obtained by People, Hasbro hopes that dropping “Mr.” from its brand and logo will “promote gender equality and inclusion.”
“Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion,” they said.
This fall, the company is launching a new “Create Your Potato Head Family” toy set, described as “a celebration of the many faces of families allowing kids to imagine and create their own Potato Head family.”
The pack will include two large potato bodies, one small potato body, and 42 accessories.
“The possibilities to create your own families are endless with mixing and mashing all the parts and pieces,” they said.
While speaking to Fast Company, Kimberly Boyd, a Hasbro senior vice president and general manager who works with the Potato Head brand, says, “Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences.”
“The way the brand currently exists — with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ — is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure,” she continued.
The Potato Head line was invented and developed by George Lerner in 1949 and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952. It has also appeared in the “Toy Story” franchise.
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