This fall, you’re cordially invited to Mr. Potato Head’s wedding. He’s marrying his partner of many years, another Mr. Potato Head. And I promise it’s going to be the party of the year, with—you guessed it—plenty of spuds on the menu.
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.
[Image: Hasbro]On Thursday, after Hasbro faced a wave of backlash from consumers resistant to this change, it clarified on Twitter that it would continue to sell individual Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys. The difference is that the brand name and the family sets will be gender neutral to promote more inclusivity. Indeed, images Hasbro released of these boxed sets portray families on the packaging with two dads and two moms, along with a heterosexual couple.
The enduring success of Potato Head comes down to its sheer silliness, says Kimberly Boyd, an SVP and GM at Hasbro who works on the Potato Head brand. The idea of a potato person with an enormous mustache is universally hilarious, particularly to the sensibilities of small children. But after that initial laugh, Boyd says that kids continue to engage with the toy because it provides a canvas onto which they can project their own experiences. “The sweet spot for the toy is two to three years old,” she says. “Kids like dressing up the toy, then playing out scenarios from their life. This often takes the form of creating little potato families, because they’re learning what it means to be in a family.”
This can be confusing to kids who live in progressive milieus, where they are exposed to many different family structures. At my daughter’s school, for instance, kids appear to be constantly trying to make sense of how the heteronormative narratives around them square with their everyday reality, where some families have two moms or two dads, and others have a single parent. When my daughter plays dress-up in class, she sometimes marries a boy and sometimes marries a girl; it feels strange that not all toys give her this freedom.
But soon, she’ll be able to plan the Potato Head wedding of her dreams. And she’ll get to decide exactly what that couple looks like.
Note: This story was updated to include Hasbro’s most recent statement that it would continue selling individual Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the final deadline, June 7.
Sign up for Brands That Matter notifications here.