Confusion and discord at move to gender-neutral Potato Head toy family
TOY giant Hasbro has created confusion around the status of Mr Potato Head after announcing it would drop the “Mr” from the brand’s name.
A gender-neutral makeover will see Mr Potato Head become the toy formerly known as Mr Potato Head.
The classic toy’s branding is being “reimagined for the modern consumer”, its US maker Hasbro announced.
Hasbro, which has its HQ in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in New England, also said it would sell a new play-set this autumn without the Mr and Mrs designations that will let children create their own type of potato families, including two mums or two dads.
“Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr from the Mr Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion,” Hasbro said of the name change.
The rebranded toy, which can be assembled with a selection of different body parts and clothes, will be released in the autumn.
The company said the toy will allow children “to imagine and create their own Potato Head family”.
But in a tweet later, Hasbro clarified that while the brand is changing, the actual Mr and
Mrs Potato Head characters will live on and be sold in stores.
In a picture posted on Twitter, the “Mr” and “Mrs” names are less prominently displayed at the bottom of the box, instead of the top.
The tweet came after news of the brand name change exploded on Twitter, with people asking if Barbie will change her name next. “I think Hasbro needs to drop the ‘Bro’ and just be ‘Has’,” another person tweeted.
Hasbro appears to want to have it both ways: expand the brand while not killing off its most iconic characters, which appeared in the Toy Story films.
“They are looking to broaden the franchise,” said Robert Passikoff, founder of marketing consultancy Brand Keys. “You take the focus of what is essentially one character and now allow it to be a platform for many characters.”
Kimberly Boyd, a senior vice president at Hasbro, said the intention of the brand name change was to be more inclusive and to have the characters still live within the Potato Head universe.
“It created a lot of excitement,” she said about the reaction.
There is movement around gender neutrality at the moment,” Frederique Tutt, a toy industry analyst for the NPD Group, told the BBC.
She added: “It’s something Hasbro has been addressing, along with inclusivity.”
She said the rebrand shows Hasbro is mindful of people who “want to be gender-neutral, who want to choose”.
“So I guess that’s where Mr Potato Head is going as well. Culture has evolved,” she added.
GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy group, applauded the more inclusive Potato play-set.
“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,” said Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’S chief communications officer.
Many toy-makers have been updating their classic brands in recent years, hoping to relate to today’s children and reflect more modern families.
“It’s a potato,” said Ali Mierzejewski, editor-in-chief at toy review site The Toy Insider, about the new play-set. “But kids like to see themselves in the toys they are playing with.”
Mr Potato Head first hit the toy scene in 1952, when it did not even come with a plastic potato – youngsters had to supply their own vegetable to poke eyes, a nose or moustache into.
On the back of its success, Mrs Potato Head, along with traditional feminised accessories, was launched the following year.
The move follows other updates to classic brands, including Barbie. The doll was initially known for being tall, white and blonde but now comes in a range of ethnicities and body shapes.
In 2019, global toy giant Mattel released a line of gender-neutral dolls.
And more female characters have been added to the
Thomas the Tank Engine series.