Photo: Getty
Mr. Potato Head will soon be a blank canvas.
During Hasbro’s 2021 presentation to investors on Thursday, the toy company announced that the iconic Mr. Potato Head will soon ditch the “Mr.” and become a non-gendered toy for kids to transform and customize as they choose. According to apress release, the rebrand will go into effect this fall for a new product line.
The rebranding will come with “a whimsical color palette and more inclusive messaging along with new product to appeal to the modern consumer.”
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“The sweet spot for the toy is 2 to 3 years old,” Kimberly Boyd, a Hasbro senior vice president and general manager who works with the Potato Head brand, tellsFast Company.
“Kids like dressing up the toy, then playing out scenarios from their life,” she adds. “This often takes the form of creating little potato families, because they’re learning what it means to be in a family.”
“Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences,” she says. “The way the brand currently exists — with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ — is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.”
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The toy launched in 1952, and originally required parents to supply an actual potato for the kids to add facial features and customize. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to ever be marketed on television, according toPBS.
source: people.com
