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For the first time possibly ever, the plastic toy Mr. Potato Head ended up going viral Thursday, due to Hasbro announcing that the branded toy would lose its gendered pronouns and instead be labeled as simply Potato Head. As it turns out, though, both Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head aren’t being retired. Their packaging will just look a bit different.
“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 [sic] proud to confirm that Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head aren’t going anywhere and will remain Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head,” a tweet from Hasbro reads.
What this means, essentially, is that the packaging will be emblazoned with the Potato Head brand name and a description of which specific toy you’re buying. You can see the new packaging below. What’s more, according to Fast Company, Hasbro will release boxed sets of multiple Potato Heads without attached gender pronouns, allowing kids who play with them to essentially create their own potato family.
“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,” senior vice president and general manager of Hasbro Susan Boyd explained in a statement to Fast Company.
Mr. Potato Head first launched in 1952. Initially, it didn’t come with a plastic potato at all. Instead, it was a set of accessories that were meant to be attached to actual potatoes. The plastic potato was added to the playset in 1964.
Image credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg/Contributor
