Mr. Potato Head and I went through a lot together back in the day, and I was deeply saddened today when I heard the news he was going away.

I thought Mr. Potato Head would live forever, but I should have known nothing lasts forever. Nothing stays the same.

Hasbro Says Mr. Potato Head Must Go

Hasbro announced earlier that it would be doing away with the "mister" in Mr. Potato Head and make him gender-neutral. The change will appear on Potato Head boxes later this year. It is the latest step in the movement to eliminate gender assignments from American society.

Many of Us Have Great Memories of Mr. Potato Head

I have a hard time understanding this. I remember playing with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Yes, both genders were equally accounted for- a male potato and a female potato. I guess I would have a better understanding, I suppose, if only one gender was represented in the potato family.

It was so much fun to give them their different and whacky looks changing up things like the ears, the nose, the eyebrows, and other things. The Potato Heads provided a great avenue for creativity in a young child's mind.

The potato heads have been a part of our culture for as long as I can remember. We've seen them in the Toy Story movies, they had their own TV show, we've even seen them in Super Bowl commercials. The Potato Head family seemed to be the most inoffensive toy imaginable. Never in a million years would I have imagined that one day we could no longer call Mr. Potato Head "mister."

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Is the Toy Maker Changing Its Mind?

There's already been a whirlwind of discussion on social media about the announced change to Mr. Potato Head, and for a moment it seemed that maybe the toy company was back-tracking on this earth-shattering decision.


Exactly what the company has in mind, we don't really know.  However, the Associated Press reports that Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head will, in fact, live on in some form. The report says Hasbro will be releasing a new playset this fall that will allow children to create their own families - a mom and a dad, or two moms or two dads. It appears Hasbro is moving ahead, however, with plans to remove the Mr.  Potato Head labeling.

It Doesn't Really Matter What You Call It

The bottom line is this. You can call the plastic toy whatever you want, regardless of the label on the box.  If you want to call it Mr. Potato Head, do it. If you prefer to call it Potato Head, fine. There's really no right or wrong here when it comes to what you call it. But, it is a pretty bold statement when a company makes the decision to change 70 years of branding in order to be politically correct.

 

SEE: 30 Toys That Defined the '70s

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