About

Mr. Potato Head was Hasbro’s first successful toy line. The line consisted of a potato shaped plastic figure that could hold multiple parts in its hollow body. These included arms, legs, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. The product became an iconic toddler’s toy and was featured in the 1995 Pixar 1995 Toy Story movie. DeviantArt currently holds over 2,000 submissions tagged Mr Potato Head.

History

In the early 1940s, Brooklyn-born toy inventor George Lerner came up with the idea of inserting small, pronged body and face parts into fruits and vegetables to create a "funny face man". Some speculate he got the idea from his wife's nephew Aaron Bradley, who was seen placing sticks inside of potatoes in the family garden. Lerner would often take potatoes from his mother's garden and, using various other fruits and vegetables as facial features, he would make dolls with which his younger sisters could play. The grape-eyed, carrot-nosed, potato-headed dolls became the principal idea behind the plastic toy which would later be manufactured.

Reception

Online Relevance

Search Interest

External References