Mr. Potato Head facts for kids

Mr. Potato Head is a super fun American toy made by Hasbro since 1952. It's a plastic potato "head" where you can attach different plastic parts. You can add ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose, a mustache, and a mouth. Sometimes it even comes with pants, headphones, or glasses!

Mr. Potato Head was invented by George Lerner in 1949. Hasbro started selling it in 1952. It was the very first toy ever shown in a TV commercial! This toy has been made ever since.

When it first came out, Mr. Potato Head was just a set of plastic parts. You had to stick them into a real potato or other vegetable. But because real vegetables would rot, and for safety reasons, Hasbro started including a plastic potato body in 1964. The toy family grew quickly! Mrs. Potato Head joined in 1953. Later, you could even get cool accessories like a car or a boat trailer.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are famous characters in the Toy Story movies. Don Rickles voiced Mr. Potato Head, and Estelle Harris voiced Mrs. Potato Head. There was even a TV show called The Mr. Potato Head Show in 1998, but it only had one season. Mr. Potato Head has also been a giant balloon in the yearly Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. You can also see a big talking Mr. Potato Head at Toy Story Midway Mania! in Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.

In 2021, Hasbro changed the brand name to simply Potato Head. But don't worry, the individual characters like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are still around!

The Story of Mr. Potato Head

In the early 1940s, a toy inventor named George Lerner from Brooklyn had a clever idea. He wanted to make funny faces by sticking small, pointy parts into fruits and vegetables. No one knows exactly how he got the idea. One story says that as a kid, he used potatoes from his mom's garden. He would use other fruits and veggies, like grapes for eyes, to make dolls for his younger sisters. Another idea is that he got the idea from his wife's nephew, who was putting sticks into potatoes. Some sources say he came up with the idea in 1949, inspired by his own children playing with food.

The original 1952 version of Mr. Potato Head

In 1951, Lerner finished a first version of his "Funny Face Man." It was hard to find a company to buy his idea. Companies worried that people wouldn't want to "waste" food on a toy, especially after World War II when food was rationed. But then, Post Cereals bought the rights that same year. They planned to put the kits in breakfast cereal boxes. Just a few months later, in 1952, the toy company Hassenfeld Brothers (now called Hasbro) bought the rights back from Post. Hasbro's first kits came with a styrofoam head. But the packaging still suggested using real potatoes or other produce.

On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head made history! It became the first toy ever advertised on television. This was also the first time a commercial was aimed directly at children. Before this, toy ads were only for adults. This new way of advertising changed marketing forever. It showed how important it was to get kids to ask their parents for toys. Also, TV sales grew a lot between 1949 and 1952. A big polio outbreak in 1952 also meant kids spent more time indoors. Over one million Mr. Potato Head kits were sold in the first year!

In 1953, Hasbro introduced Mrs. Potato Head. Soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam joined the family. Then came cool accessories like a car, a boat trailer, a kitchen set, and pets called Spud-ettes. In the 1960s, Hasbro also made the Tooty Frooty Friends kit. This kit had over 60 pieces to build four more characters: Katie the Carrot, Kooky the Cucumber, Oscar the Orange, and Pete the Pepper.

Safety and Design Changes

Even though the toys first used real vegetables, Hasbro started including a plastic head and body in 1964. They also made the parts less sharp. This was because parents complained about rotten food. There were also reports of kids choking on small pieces or cutting themselves. In 1973, more changes were made to make the toy even safer. Hasbro combined the head and body into one big piece. They also made the parts larger to prevent choking. The holes were changed to flat slots, so parts could only be attached one way. In 1983, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head got white bendable arms with white gloves. A storage space was also added inside the larger head/body piece.

In 1985, Mr. Potato Head even got four votes for mayor of Boise, Idaho! This was a record for "most votes for Mr. Potato Head in a political campaign." In November 1987, Mr. Potato Head became a "Spokespud" for the annual Great American Smokeout. He even gave up his pipe to Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. In 1989, Hasbro changed the bendable arms to removable plastic arms.

In the 1990s, the League of Women Voters used Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head to encourage people to vote. Mr. Potato Head also won an award from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was in charge of the group, gave him the award.

Mr. Potato Head in Movies and More

In 1995, Mr. Potato Head became a main character in the Disney/Pixar animated movie Toy Story. Comedian Don Rickles provided his voice. Mr. Potato Head came back in all three sequels: Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Don Rickles passed away in 2017. For Toy Story 4, Pixar used old recordings of his voice so he could still be in the movie. Also in 1995, a game called Mr. Potato Head Pals Mix 'n' Match was made. Kids had to build characters to match cards.

In 2000, Mr. Potato Head was added to the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. In 2006, Hasbro started selling sets of pieces without bodies. This let people add to their collections. Some themed sets included Chef, Construction Worker, Firefighter, Halloween, King, Mermaid, Police Officer, Pirate, Princess, Rockstar, and Santa Claus. Hasbro also made "Sports Spuds" that year. These were smaller plastic potatoes dressed like different sports teams.

In 2010, Hasbro won a Toy & Game Innovation Award. That same year, Hasbro changed the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head body design to look slimmer. This was called "Active Adventures." By 2012, over 100 million Mr. Potato Head toys had been sold since it first came out!

On February 25, 2021, Hasbro changed the brand name to "Potato Head." They still kept the individual Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters. Some news outlets thought all Potato Head toys would become gender neutral. While Hasbro still offers the classic characters, some people praised them for being progressive. Others called it a "PR stunt."

New models of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys have been made since 2024.

Different Versions of Mr. Potato Head

In 1995, to celebrate the movie Toy Story, Hasbro made the first Mr. Potato Head toy that looked just like the movie character. It used parts from an older set.

In the 2000s, Hasbro made Mr. Potato Head sets based on many popular movies and shows. These include:

• Star Wars characters like "Darth Tater", "Spud Trooper", and "R2-POTATOO".
• A 2007 Transformers movie-themed "Optimash Prime".
• Spider-Man-themed "Spider-Spud / Peter Tater" for Spider-Man 3.
• An Indiana Jones-themed "Taters of the Lost Ark" for the 2008 movie.
• An Iron Man 2-themed "Tony Starch".
• A "Trick or Tater" version for Halloween.
• Five more Star Wars potato heads sold only at Disney theme parks: "Luke Frywalker", "Yam Solo", "Spuda Fett", "Princess Tater", and "Darth Mash".

In 2009, "Bumble Spud" was made for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A Kiss version of Mr. Potato Head was also produced. Disney and Hasbro also released "Chipbacca", "Mashter Yoda", and "C-3PotatO" in October 2009 at Disney Parks. To celebrate Toy Story 3, five new Mr. Potato Heads were shown. These included "Woody's Tater Roundup", "Spud Lightyear", "Jessie the Spud-slinging Cowgirl", and the classic Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. To promote The Looney Tunes Show, Hasbro made Bugs Bunny-, Daffy Duck-, and Tasmanian Devil-themed Mr. Potato Head dolls.

In 2011, new Mr. Potato Head sets were announced at the New York Toy Fair. These included a second Elvis Mr. Potato Head, sets for The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion), the Three Stooges, Star Trek (Kirk and Kor), and SpongeBob SquarePants.

In 2012, Hasbro and PPW Toys released Mr. Potato Head as Batman for the movie The Dark Knight Rises. This model was called "The Dark Spud." In 2014, for The Simpsons 25th anniversary, a Homer Simpson-themed Mr. Potato Head was made.

On April Fools Day 2019, Hasbro jokingly announced that Mr. Potato Head would be replaced by "Mr. Avo Head," a hipster avocado.

To celebrate Toy Story 4, Hasbro made new Toy Story versions of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. These versions used the "Active Adventures" body style. Hasbro also made new "Active Adventures" versions of "Woody's Tater Roundup" and "Spud Lightyear."

In 2020, Hasbro announced a green version of the toy called Mr. Potato Head Goes Green. This version was made from plant-based plastic from sugarcane.

To celebrate Mr. Potato Head's 70th anniversary in 2022, Hasbro made older-looking versions of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Movies

Mr. Potato Head is a character in the Disney/Pixar Toy Story movies. Don Rickles was his voice actor. He was one of Andy's toys before being given to Bonnie in Toy Story 3.

Toy Story Movies and Shows

Movies

• Toy Story
• Toy Story 2
• Toy Story 3
• Toy Story 4

TV Specials and Shorts

• Toy Story of Terror!
• Toy Story That Time Forgot
• Toy Story Toons
• Pixar Popcorn

In Toy Story (1995), Mr. Potato Head can be a bit grumpy with Andy's other toys. But he is good friends with Hamm the piggy bank. When Sheriff Woody accidentally pushes Buzz Lightyear out a window, Potato Head thinks Woody did it on purpose. At the end of the movie, he is super happy to hear Andy's sister Molly is getting a Mrs. Potato Head for Christmas.

In Toy Story 2 (1999), Mr. Potato Head goes with Andy's other toys to save Woody. Woody was stolen by Al McWhiggin. Mr. Potato Head saves three Alien toys from falling out of a Pizza Planet truck. His wife, Mrs. Potato Head, decides to adopt them, even though her husband isn't too thrilled!

In Toy Story 3 (2010), Mr. Potato Head is one of Andy's toys who goes to live with Bonnie. His wife and the Aliens are with him.

Mr. Potato Head also appeared in all three Toy Story Toons shorts: Hawaiian Vacation (2011), Small Fry (2011), and Partysaurus Rex (2012). Don Rickles voiced him in these too.

He also appeared in the Halloween special Toy Story of Terror! (2013). In this special, he disappears, and Bonnie's other toys have to find him.

Mr. Potato Head was in the Christmas special, Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014).

Mr. Potato Head appeared in Toy Story 4 (2019). As Don Rickles had passed away, Pixar used old recordings of his voice for his lines. Mr. Potato Head had 7 lines in Toy Story 4, and the movie was dedicated to Rickles. He first appears at the beginning of the movie. Later, he and his wife go with Bonnie and her parents on their RV road trip. At the end, they say goodbye to Woody, who decides to stay with Bo Peep.

Mr. Potato Head is also seen dancing in a Pixar Popcorn short called To Fitness and Beyond.

Mr. Potato Head Games

On November 13, 1995, a computer game called Mr. Potato Head Saves Veggie Valley was released by Hasbro Interactive.

In 1997, Hasbro Interactive released another game called Mr. Potato Head's Activity Pack.

Mr. Potato Head has also been the host in all the games from the popular video game series Hasbro Family Game Night. He also appeared in several Toy Story-based video games.

Images for kids

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  The original 1952 version of Mr. Potato Head

See also

In Spanish: Mr. Potato Head para niños

• List of toys
• Potato gun