Lives there a single child of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, who did not get a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas? It was a fun toy, not a very sophisticated toy, but one that was easy to assemble and one that offered a chance for creativity. How often are you allowed to stick a nose where the ears should be?
The toy was invented by George Lerner who initially came up with the idea of inserting small, pronged body and face parts into fruits and vegetables to create a “funny face man”. It is said that Lerner’s children often played with their food at mealtime, and the inventor thought this idea might get more food actually eaten.
The first Mr. Potato Heads were kits with 30 plastic parts, meant to be inserted into real potatoes. Hasbro bought the company and later developed a plastic potato body with homes for the facial features and arms and legs.
In 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television and the ads were directed to children, not adults. Over 1 million kits were sold the first year.
Mr. Potato Head developed into somewhat of a national celebrity. In 1985, he received four postal votes in the run for mayor of Boise, Idaho In 2000, Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The toy is still on the market and there are now Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads, and several other versions. It was and still is a great toy.
