The toy world is in a state of confusion this morning, following a series of announcements from Hasbro regarding the future of Mr Potato Head.
It was originally announced that Mr and Mrs Potato Head would be getting a “21st-century rebrand” in the form of a gender neutral transformation.
The iconic Mr. Potato Head gets a 21st-century rebrand https://t.co/TqRtl9jv1X
— Fast Company (@FastCompany) February 25, 2021
It was originally reported that the ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ would be dropped, with the product set to be sold as simply ‘Potato Head’.
According to Fast Company, the change came due to concerns the existing ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ Potato Head branding was limiting in terms of gender identity and family structure.
For some, the move was a stroke of genius from Hasbrow.
I told my 7-year-old daughter that Mr. Potato Head is gender neutral now and she smiled and said, "This is the greatest day of my life. Finally I can be at peace." We hugged and I started sobbing. It was so beautiful.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) February 25, 2021
Others were outraged, with British media personality Piers Morgan leading the charge.
Who was actually offended by Mr Potato Head being male? I want names. These woke imbeciles are destroying the world. pic.twitter.com/CwsaX5D2Ue
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 25, 2021
With the mass online reaction, Hasbro was forced to clarify the move, telling Twitter that Mr Potato Head would live on.
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
As part of the announcement, Hasbro will also be launching a “Create Your Potato Head Family” kit with two potato parents and a potato baby in an effort to promote ‘modern families’.
