A childhood favorite inadvertently waddled into the culture wars.
On Thursday, Hasbro announced that is was dropping “Mr.” from the brand name of its iconic tuber-inspired toys. The shorter “Potato Head,” the toy maker explained, “better reflect[s] the full line,” which includes Mrs. Potato Head and a smaller potato body, unnamed but presumably a child.
When the news was first announced, critics on social media lashed out, accusing Hasbro of taking an unnecessary stance on a contentious social issue.
Dear @Hasbro, you have “bro”
in your name. How long before that becomes offensive and needs to be gender fixed? It’s a potato people. He will always be Mr. Potato Head. Stop being so dumb.— Pastor Greg Locke (@pastorlocke) February 26, 2021
The same people who say “let’s make Mr Potato head gender neutral” then sit there and say with genuine bemusement “how did we end up with President Trump”.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) February 25, 2021
But those lambasting Hasbro apparently didn’t get to the second line of the press release announcing the change.
But rest assured, the iconic MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD characters aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD.
Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD pic.twitter.com/6I84KrxOLQ
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) February 25, 2021
The sexagenarian spud will live to see another day; it’s merely the line that’s getting a new name, not the individual characters. Still, many figures in conservative media claimed Hasbro backtracked after backlash.
Ainsley Earhardt worries about how she'll know which gender of potato toy to buy (they're labeled "Mr." and "Mrs.",) and Steve Doocy assumes Hasbro was trying to be politically correct until "the backlash was enormous" and it backtracked in a panic (that's not what happened.) pic.twitter.com/yrPAo7yqrI
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) February 26, 2021
Hasbro explained that the updated name is a “celebration of the many faces of families allowing kids to imagine and create their own Potato Head family.” On Thursday, the House passed the Equality Act, a landmark LGBTQ bill that seeks to end discrimination.
Several toy makers have made changes in recent years to encourage more inclusivity. The popular Thomas the Tank Engine series added more female characters while American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
Shares of Hasbro rose following the announcement.
