Classic Toys: Mr. Potato Head

History of Mr. Potato Head

The classic Mr. Potato Head toy is familiar to everyone who’s been a kid, or had one, since the 1950s. He has become an icon with a special place in most people’s hearts, and enjoys a devoted following that will doubtless keep him around for many years to come. As his story goes, Mr. Potato Head is a toy that was nearly ignored in the early stages of development.

George Lerner of New York City was a designer and inventor with several successful inventions. In 1949 he designed and developed an early version of what would eventually become known as Mr. Potato Head. When the toy first came about, it consisted of a collection of plastic body parts with pushpin backs that were to be inserted into a fruit or potato. The fruit or vegetable was not sold with the toy and was to be supplied by the customer. This waste of food was not a popular notion with a population that just recently dealt with the frugality and shortages of WWII. Because of this, Lerner was unable to find a toymaker that was willing to manufacture the toy. Eventually he sold his invention for $5000 to a cereal company that planned on distributing the toy as a promotion in the cereal boxes.

Lerner knew his toy could be so much more successful than just serving as a giveaway in a cereal box. He met with toy manufacturer, Hasbro in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and decided to buy his invention back for $7000. The new product, “Mr. Potato Head Funny Face Kit”, was released on April 30, 1952. The original kit with 28 parts sold for less than $1.00 as a kit to be used with “any fruit or vegetable”. In the kit were bodies, shoes, hats, facial hair, noses, eyes, ears, glasses and even a pipe. Also that same year, Mr. Potato Head was the very first toy to be advertised on television.

Mr. Potato Head was a great success, earning Hasbro over $4 million in its first year. In 1953 Mrs. Potato was introduced. The happy couple had two children, Brother Spud and Sister Yam. Parts to make pets came along, as well as possessions common to American families, like a Potato Family car, appliances and even a boat.

Starting in 1964, a plastic potato head was included with the other parts, so it was no longer necessary to sacrifice a fruit or vegetable to make a Mr. Potato Head. A whole new line of “friends” was introduced the same year, called the “Tooty Frooty Friends”. Among these new friends were Pete the Pepper, Cooky the Cucumber and Katie Carrot.

In response to the desire among children to have action toys, the “Jumpin’ Mr. Potato Head!” was introduced in 1966. By winding him up, he was able to fly a kite, use a jackhammer, fish and, of course—jump. Mrs. Potato Head had a jumping version too, but her tasks were more housework in nature. (So much for the Women’s Movement.) The huge popularity of Mr. Potato Head led to other companies cashing in on the craze, which resulted in Donald Duck and Bozo the Clown Potato Head sets, as well as a Dunkin’ Donuts Mr. Donut Head, manufactured in 1969.

By the early 1970s, the demand for Mr. Potato Head playsets had waned, and only the Mr. Potato Head character was made available. He was restyled and rereleased in 1983 with some significant changes. He now had permanent arms and a ‘rear’ compartment for storage of extra body parts. In 1985 they introduced Baby Potato Head. The line continued to expand and Mr. Potato Head was used by various companies as premiums. The McDonald’s version was so popular that is was included in the Happy Meal as two separate promotions.

In 1987 there were two major changes to Mr. Potato Head: his arms became replaceable and he quit smoking. His pipe was taken away and he became the spokes-spud for the American Cancer Society that year. He continued to remain a popular classic toy, but with the release of Pixar’s “Toy Story” in 1995, Mr. Potato Head sales soared once again.

There’s something very satisfying to a child to design something their own way, and to redo it over and over just the way they like it. Maybe Mr. Potato Head’s versatility is partly responsible for his classic quality and enduring popularity.

(I would like to acknowledge a wonderful resource I accessed for many of the facts that made writing this blog possible. It is Dennis Martin’s mrpotatohead.net website. His site is a comprehensive source for Mr. Potato Head collectors and features amazing photos of his phenomenal collection.)