Mr. Potato Head
| Mr. Potato Head | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Inventor | George Lerner |
| Company | Hasbro |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1952–present |
| Materials | plastic felt (formerly) |
Mr. Potato Head is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of plastic parts that can attach to the main body. These parts usually include ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose, and a mouth. The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in 1949, and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952.[1] Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television[2][3] and has remained in production since its debut. The toy was originally produced as separate plastic parts that could be stuck into a real potato or other vegetable. Government regulations forced Hasbro into including a plastic potato body within the toy set.[citation needed]
Over the years, the original toy was joined by Mrs. Potato Head and supplemented with accessories such as a car and a boat trailer. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head may be best known for their appearances in the Toy Story franchise. Additionally, in 1998 The Mr. Potato Head Show aired, but was short lived with only one season being produced.[4] As one of the prominent marks of Hasbro, a Mr. Potato Head balloon has also joined others in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[5] Today, Mr. Potato Head can still be seen adorning hats, shirts, and ties. Toy Story Midway Mania at California Adventure Park in Disneyland California also features a large talking Mr. Potato Head.[6]
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[edit] Versions
In recent years, Hasbro has produced Potato Head sets based on media properties that Hasbro produces toys for under license.
These include the Star Wars-themed "Darth Tater",[7][8] "Spud Trooper"[9] and "R2-POTATOO",[1][10] a 2007 Transformers film-themed "Optimash Prime",[11] a pair of Spider-Man (red suit and black suit)-themed "Spider-Spud/Peter Tater", a Indiana Jones-themed "Taters of the Lost Ark" set [12] (which, despite the title, was released as a tie-in to 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), an Iron Man 2-themed "Tony Starch" and a Trick or Tater version for Halloween in October 2008. An additional five Star Wars-themed potato heads were sold exclusively through Disney Theme Parks including "Luke Frywalker", "Yam Solo", "Spuda Fett","Princess Tater", and "Darth Mash". In 2009 "Bumble Spud"[13] was produced based on the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A Kiss version of Mr. Potato Head was produced recently. Disney, in cooperation with Hasbro, also released "Chipbacca", "Mashter Yoda", and "C-3PotatO" in October 2009 at Disney Parks. To celebrate Toy Story 3, five new Mr. Potato Heads were unveiled including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Mrs. Potato Head, and the classic Mr. Potato Head.[14] To promote The Looney Tunes Show, Hasbro unveiled Bugs Bunny-, Daffy Duck- and Taz, the Tasmanian Devil-themed Mr. Potato Head dolls.
In 2011 it was announced at the New York Toy fair that a second Elvis Mr. Potato Head (the '68 special) would be released. As well as sets for The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion), the Three Stooges, and Star Trek (Kirk and Kor). These will all be released through PPW toys. From Hasbro, there will be a SpongeBob SquarePants release as well.
[edit] Impact on popular culture
Mr. Potato Head's popularity has led him to some appearances in films and television. In 1985, Mr Potato Head played a supporting role in Potato Head Kids, his first dramatic television appearance. In 1995, Mr. Potato Head appeared in the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story, voiced by Don Rickles. He returned between 1999 and 2010 in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 alongside Mrs. Potato Head. In 1998-99, he had his own short-lived Fox Kids series, The Mr. Potato Head Show. In addition to film and television, the character has been the subject of a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Cartoonist Gary Larson included the character in several of his The Far Side cartoons. In commercial for Bridgestone tires during Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, Mr. Potato Head is driving a car and Mrs. Potato Head is nagging him.
Mr Potato Head has also acted as spokesperson for several causes. In 1987, Mr Potato Head surrendered his pipe to become the spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's annual "Great American Smokeout" campaign. He performed the role for several years. In 1992, he received a special award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness. In 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head joined the League of Women Voters and their "Get Out the Vote" campaign. Mr. Potato Head is also the inspiration/main character of an upcoming fan film, Potato Headed.
The famous toy has made other appearances. In 1997 Burger King brought him aboard for the introduction of their new French fry and their "Try the Fry" campaign. In Britain, Walkers crisps has a line of crisps called Potato Heads, featuring a Potato Head rendition of Gary Lineker on the packet.[15] An interactive Audio-Animatronic version appears in the queue for the Toy Story Midway Mania! attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure Park.
Bill Bryson briefly talked about the character (its early incarnation) in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, calling it amongst the most pointless toys of his childhood—it let kids confirm the harsh truth that even with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hat, etc. it is still only a middle-class tuber.
Page 44 of Earth (The Book) is dedicated to Mr. Potato Head, and he is described as a "popular children's toy whose sensory organs could be quickly removed and stored in" an unfortunate location. Mr. Potato Head is also the host of the video game, Hasbro Family Game Night and it's sequels.
In the English language, "potato-head" is a slang term used to describe either a person with a potato-like shape to their head, or someone who lacks intelligence. It's in reference to this, and not the toy, that Louis Armstrong recorded Potato Head Blues in 1927.[16]
In the pilot episode of the sitcom Friends, Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel Green explains to the gang how her ex-fiance looked just like Mr. Potato Head
[edit] Games
Mr. Potato Head has appeared in the popular Wii/DS games "Hasbro Family Game Night 1, 2, and upcoming 3 as he hosts your Family Game night in 2. He has appeared in several Toy Story based video games along with Toy Story Activity Center.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Mr Potato Head". Museum of Childhood website. V&A Museum of Childhood. http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/toys/construction_toys/mr_potato_head/index.html. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWTToys; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text - ^ www.hasbro.com - History of Hasbro: Mr. Potato Head[dead link]
- ^ "The Mr. Potato Head Show". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315688/. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ Suddath, Claire (November 27, 2008). "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". Time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1862565,00.html.
- ^ "Toy Story Mania! | Walt Disney World Resort". Disneyworld.disney.go.com. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/attractions/toy-story-mania/. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Darth Tater at Wookieepedia". Starwars.wikia.com. May 15, 2011. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Tater. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Darth Tater at Star Wars Merchandise Wiki". http://swmerchandise.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Tater.
- ^ Spudtrooper at Star Wars Merchandise Wiki
- ^ Artoo-Potatoo at Star Wars Merchandise Wiki
- ^ "Optimash Prime". Tfwiki.net. May 10, 2011. http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimash_Prime. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Indiana Jones Taters of the Lost Ark". Indianajones.wikia.com. http://indianajones.wikia.com/wiki/Indiana_Jones_Taters_of_the_Lost_Ark. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Bumble Spud". Tfwiki.net. 2011-05-14. http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Bumble_Spud. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
- ^ "browse". Hasbro.com. 2009-02-13. http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/en_US/shop/browse/Playskool/Mr-Potato-Head. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
- ^ "UK Screen Association News - Gary Lineker as Mr Potato Head". Ukscreenassociation.co.uk. http://www.ukscreenassociation.co.uk/news/articles.htm?aId=176. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
- ^ "potato-head". answers.com. http://www.answers.com/topic/potato. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mr. Potato Head |
- Hasbro - Mr Potato Head Official website
