Mr. Potato Head Is Rebranding As Simply 'Potato Head' To Be More Inclusive
Yesterday, toy company Hasbro announced that it was rebranding its popular Mr. Potato Head brand of toys to simply be called "Potato Head" on the packaging. The change was made as a move to become more inclusive and allow kids to create their own potato characters without the need for any gender-specific names.
With this change will come new toy packaging and a new toy set that will hit stores sometime in the fall of 2021. The Potato Head family toy set will include two large potato bodies, one small body, and 42 accessories so kids can create their own Potato "families" in a way that best represents their own families.
Initially, some toy fans were concerned that the original Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys, which have been around since the 1950s, would be completely discontinued. Hasbro confirmed in a tweet that the branding change will still include Mr. and Mrs. Potato head toys but with packaging that focuses less on the gender-specific names.
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
"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," the company wrote in a tweet.
Attached were photos of the rebranded Mr. and Mrs. Potato head toys that show the logo itself now simply reads "Potato Head" and the character names are in smaller print at the bottom of the box. The goal of this change was to promote inclusivity and broaden the possibilities in the Potato Universe, a Hasbro official told AP.
The Chief Communications Officer of GLAAD, an organization that monitors the media's coverage of LGBTQ+ individuals, Rich Ferraro, praised the move by Hasbro.
"Hasbro is helping kids to simply see toys as toys, which encourages them to be their authentic selves outside of the pressures of traditional gender norms," he said.
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