Hasbro is clarifying a change to its Mr. Potato Head toy line following reports that it was replacing the toys with a gender-neutral version.
In a tweet Thursday afternoon, the toy company wrote, “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,” it added.
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
According to The Hill, the Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head toys will still be available. However, Hasbro said the brand name and its logo will be stripped of the honorifics.
The company also said it is launching a “Potato Head” family toy line in the fall that will let “kids imagine and create Potato Head families,” which include two parents and a baby.”
“Kids can have fun expressing themselves and creating lots of wacky looks. Sized right for little hands, there’s no wrong way to play when mixing and mashing the parts and pieces,” the description said.
The clarification came after social media erupted following reports that Hasbro would replace the iconic toys with a gender-neutral toy.
Check out some of the reactions below:
I want to be the person for whom the worst thing that happened to them was Mr. Potato Head being a man. How few real worries you must have.
— Erielle Azerrad (@politicalelle) February 25, 2021
RIP, Mr. Potato Head. https://t.co/n4MuyucLrG
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 25, 2021
Mr. Potato Head has now been renamed to be gender inclusive.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) February 25, 2021
He’s now just going to be called Potato Head.
When will the activists demand Joe Biden stops use of the “Come On, Man” catchphrase?
For inclusivity’s sake, it should be “Come On, Person!”
Imagine being so fragile that you’re offended by the thought of Mr Potato Head being male. https://t.co/Y4FPP6Jfph
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 25, 2021
Why is everything so unbelievably stupid? https://t.co/cLGCuAs9Ne
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) February 25, 2021
Speaking about the change in the brand, Hasbro senior vice president Kimberly Boyd told Fast Company, “Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand currently exists — with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ — is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.”