Everything is problematic. But soon, potato-inspired toys won’t be:
Via @FastCompany: The iconic Mr. Potato Head gets a 21st-century rebrand #HasbroInvestorDay https://t.co/xoZYTCFGAa
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) February 25, 2021
Mr. Potato Head is no longer a mister. Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year. https://t.co/yUAO4bVYG0
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 25, 2021
Confused?
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 25, 2021
Just imagine how Mrs. Potato Head must be feeling right now.
And what about Mrs. Potato Head?
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 25, 2021
Must have been awkward revealing this to Mrs Potato Headhttps://t.co/MGfUGAgbQp
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 25, 2021
"Honey, I uh, need you to sit down to talk about something." pic.twitter.com/Z0uQEoBXK6
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 25, 2021
It’s OK. It’s all worth it:
The toy giant Hasbro is rebranding its iconic Mr. Potato Head toy by dropping the “Mr.” from the name. On the surface, it may seem like a subtle shift, but it is designed to break away from traditional gender norms, particularly when it comes to creating Potato Head families—how toddlers frequently play with the toy, according to Hasbro’s research. But starting this fall, when the new brand is unveiled, kids will have a blank slate to create same-sex families or single-parent families. It’s a prime example of the way heritage toy brands are evolving to stay relevant in the 21st century.
…
Over the decades, the Potato Head brand has explicitly played into this tendency to create families. It has sold Mr. Potato Head family sets, with a male and a female character, along with smaller potato children. In 2012, Hasbro celebrated the 60th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head with a boxed set featuring the couple. But eight years later, the brand wants to stop leaning so heavily into this traditional family structure. “Culture has evolved,” she says. “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.”
…
The brand’s solution is to drop the gendered honorific title altogether. This means the toys don’t impose a fixed notion of gender identity or expression, freeing kids to do whatever feels most natural to them: A girl potato might want to wear pants and a boy potato might wear earrings. Hasbro will also sell boxed sets that don’t present a normative family structure. This approach is clever because it allows kids to project their own ideas about gender, sexuality, and family onto the toy, without necessarily offending parents that have more conservative notions about family.
Even conservative parents can get behind a gender-neutral potato!
Oppression = defeated. https://t.co/zwWEwA6FA9
— Brad Polumbo ??⚽️ ?️? (@brad_polumbo) February 25, 2021
Bigotry ANNIHILATED https://t.co/FaogDQlL7A
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 25, 2021
inequality solved https://t.co/RBEX0i6HXG
— Nino (@baldingschemer) February 25, 2021
I was unaware of this being a hot potato issue but I yam glad it's resolved now. https://t.co/nWd8ImWy2l
— Tatjana Pasalic (@Tattytats) February 25, 2021
Well, it’s not quite resolved …
is mrs potato head genderless now as well? if so, what will differentiate the Mr and Mrs products if not labeling? or is hasbro not going to update mrs potato head? if not, why not? are they combining the two into one? does that create surplus of useless product? what's the plan?
— tsar becket adams (@BecketAdams) February 25, 2021
We need answers.
All of the Toy Story movies need to have a warning label on them or just ban them altogether. https://t.co/13qyKrml50
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 25, 2021
Only when that happens can we truly progress.
https://twitter.com/UltraWeedHater/status/1364992622490775552
That's Mr. Potatx Head to you
— Nathaniel Horadam, 2021 Edition (@NW_Horadam) February 25, 2021
No, just Potatx Head. No “Mr.,” remember?
The great thing about being a tans potato head is if it changes it's mind it can just reach in its own ass and put the penis back on.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 25, 2021
That’s true!
This is exactly what America needs right now.
It's like everyone is trying to out-stupid each other. Incredible, really.
— Leonydus Johnson (leave/me/alone) (@LeonydusJohnson) February 25, 2021
Why is everything so unbelievably stupid? https://t.co/cLGCuAs9Ne
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) February 25, 2021
Look how stupid everything has become. pic.twitter.com/y9KPSZFefq
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) February 25, 2021
Don’t think it can’t get stupider.
.@mrcoffee right now pic.twitter.com/C1AoEufMUH
— Dr. Ricardo Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) February 25, 2021
It’s inevitable.
Our society is a farce. https://t.co/kKpRnzDW1D
— Colin Duffy (@TheRightDuff) February 25, 2021
I'm ready for the apocalypse now https://t.co/DkJTrCbl5p
— Jessica O’Donnell (@heckyessica) February 25, 2021
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