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Mr. Potato Head is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of attachable plastic parts such as ears and eyes to make a face. The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in 1949, and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952.[1] Mr. Potato Head enjoys the distinction of being the first toy advertised on television[2][3] and has remained in production since its debut. Over the years, the original toy was joined by Mrs. Potato Head and supplemented with accessories such as a car and a boat trailer. The character has appeared in film and on television, and has acted as spokesperson for several causes. Similar toys such as Pontiki may have taken their inspiration from the Hasbro toy.
[edit] HistoryIn 1949, Brooklyn-born toy inventor George Lerner came up with the idea of inserting small, pronged body and face parts into fruits and vegetables to create a "funny face man."[2] Lerner would often take potatoes from his mother’s garden and using various other fruits and vegetables as facial features, he would make dolls with which his younger sisters could play. The grape-eyed, carrot-nosed, potato-headed dolls became the principal idea behind the plastic toy which would later be manufactured. In the beginning, Lerner's toy proved controversial. With the war and food rationing a recent memory for most Americans, the use of fruits and vegetables to make toys was considered irresponsible and wasteful. Toy companies rejected Lerner's creation.[2] After several years of trying to sell the toy, Lerner finally convinced a food company to distribute the plastic parts as premiums in breakfast cereal boxes. He sold the idea for $5,000. But in 1951, Lerner showed the idea to textile manufacturers Henry and Merrill Hassenfeld, who conducted a small school supply and toy business (later known as Hasbro). Realizing the toy was quite unlike anything in their line, they paid the cereal company $2,000 to stop production and bought the rights for $5,000. Lerner was offered an advance of $500 and a 5% royalty on every kit sold. The toy was dubbed Mr. Potato Head and went into production.[2]  Mr. Potato Head was born on May 1, 1952. The original toy cost $0.98, and contained hands, feet, ears, two mouths, two pairs of eyes, four noses, three hats, eyeglasses, a pipe, and 8 felt pieces resembling facial hair. The Original Mr. Potato Head kit did not come with a "Potato Body," so parents had to supply their own potatoes for face-changing fun. His debut into the toy scene sent him straight to the top, becoming the first toy to ever be advertised on television. A number of the original accessories reflected certain features of the members of Lerner’s own family[citation needed]. Shortly after the toy's initial release, an order form for 50 additional pieces was enclosed in every kit.[2] On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television. Over one million kits were sold in the first year.[2] In 1953, Mrs. Potato Head was added, and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the Potato Head family with accessories reflecting the affluence of the fifties that included a car, a boat trailer, (the commercial for it can be found here.) a kitchen set, a stroller, and pets called Spud-ettes. Although originally produced as separate plastic parts to be stuck into a real potato or other vegetable, a plastic potato was added to the kit in 1964.[1] 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. Oscar and Pete were later discontinued, but Funko revived them as bobbleheads (along with a Mr. Potato Head bobblehead) in 2002. In 1975, the main potato part of the toy doubled in size and the dimensions of its accessories were similarly increased. This was done mainly because of new toy child safety regulations that were introduced by the U.S. government. This change in size also increased the market to younger children, enabling them to play and attach the facial pieces easily. Hasbro also replaced the holes with flat slats, which made it impossible for users to put the face pieces and other body parts the wrong way around. In the 1980s, Hasbro reduced the range of accessories for Mr. Potato Head to one set of parts. The company did however reintroduce round holes in the main potato body, and once again parts were able to go onto the toy in the wrong locations. In 1986 Mr. Potato Head became "Spokespud" for the annual Great American Smokeout and surrendered his pipe to Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in Washington, D.C.[1] In 1995 Mr. Potato Head made his debut in Hollywood with a leading role in the Disney/Pixar animated feature, Toy Story.[1] In 1999, Mr. Potato Head starred in the sequel to Toy Story, Toy Story 2. In 2000 Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. In 2001 Mr. Potato Head starred in his own comic strip. In 2006, Hasbro also began selling individual pieces as sets to add to a collection instead of having to buy an entire Potato Head set with a body. Some of these themed sets included Mermaid, Rockstar, Pirate King Princess, Firefighter, Construction Worker, Halloween, Santa Claus, Chef, and Police Officer. In the same year, Hasbro introduced a line called "Sports Spuds" [1] with a generic plastic potato (smaller than the standard size) customized to a wide variety of professional and collegiate teams. In recent years, Hasbro has produced Potato Head sets based on media properties that Hasbro produces toys for under license. These include the Star Wars-themed "Darth Tater", "Spud Trooper" and "R2-POTATOO",[1] a 2007 Transformers film-themed "Optimash Prime", a Spider-Man-themed "Spider-Spud/Peter Tater", a Indiana Jones-themed "Taters of the Lost Ark" set (which, despite the title, was released as a tie-in to 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and a Trick or Tater Version for Halloween in October 2008. An additional 5 Star Wars themed potato heads were sold exclusively through Disney Theme Parks including "Luke Frywalker", "Yam Solo", "Spuda Fett","Princess Tater", and "Darth Mash". In 2009 "Bumble Spud" was produced based on the movie Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. A Kiss version of Mr. Potato Head was produced recently. Disney, in cooperation with Hasbro, is also planning the release of "Chipbacca", "Mashter Yoda", and "C-3PotatO" in October 2009. [edit] Impact on popular culture Mr. Potato Head's popularity has led him to some appearances in films and television. In 1985, Mr. Potato Head played a supporting role in Potato Head Kids, his first dramatic television appearance. In 1995, Mr. Potato Head appeared in the Disney film Toy Story, voiced by Don Rickles. He returned in Toy Story 2 along side Mrs. Potato Head and they are both slated for another appearance in the third movie, Toy Story 3 That will be shown in movie theaters in June 2010. In 1998-1999, he had his own short-lived Fox Kids series, The Mr. Potato Head Show. In addition to film and television, the character has been the subject of a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Cartoonist Gary Larson has included the character in several of his The Far Side cartoons.  Mr. Potato Head has also acted as spokesperson for several causes. In 1987, Mr. Potato Head surrendered his pipe to become the spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's annual "Great American Smokeout" campaign. He performed the role for several years. In 1992, he received a special award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness. In 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head joined the League of Women Voters and their "Get Out the Vote" campaign. The famous toy has made other appearances. In 1997, Burger King brought him aboard for the introduction of their new french fry and their "Try the Fry" campaign. In Britain, Walkers crisps has a line of crisps called Potato Heads, featuring a Potato Head rendition of Gary Lineker on the packet.[4] An interactive Audio-Animatronic version appears in the queue for the Toy Story Midway Mania! attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's California Adventure. Bill Bryson briefly talked about the character (its early incarnation) in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, calling it among the most pointless toys of his childhood; it let kids confirm the harsh truth that even with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hat, etc., it is still nothing but a lifeless tuber. [edit] References
[edit] External links
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