Quest to find every Mr. Potato Head statue in R.I.
My friend Sarah Doiron, a digital content producer for WPRI-TV in Providence, has made it her life’s mission to find each of the 47 Mr. Potato Head statues that were designed by local artists as part of a state tourism campaign in 2000. The idea was All That.
Doiron’s search has taken her all over Rhode Island — and even across the pond — but she needs your help in locating a bunch of them. If you have any leads, shoot her an email at sdoiron@wpri.com.
Q. Give us a history lesson. Why do these Mr. Potato Head statues exist, and what got you so interested them?
Doiron: I wish the story of how this all started was more exciting, but I was lying in bed one night thinking about quirky Rhode Island landmarks and the Mr. Potato Head statues came to mind. I immediately went down the rabbit hole of learning everything about them and became inspired to seek them out.
The 6-foot-tall fiberglass spud statues were scattered across Rhode Island in 2000 for the “Birthplace of Fun” tourism campaign. When the campaign ended, the statues that didn’t stay put were either donated, auctioned off, or put in storage. There really isn’t a paper trail for most of them, which is what makes this search so unique.
Q. How many have you discovered so far, and how many are you still looking for?
A. Others who have shared their own spud searches online have reported finding between nine and 15. I knew that wasn’t right, so I began digging. I have confirmed the existence of 29 and am still investigating other leads I’ve received.
I have found and photographed 17 so far. There is also one I discovered that’s across the pond in Belper, England, which is Pawtucket’s sister town. He was gifted to Belper after the campaign ended.