6 Wacky Facts About Mr. Potato Head

Lauren Novak April 30, 2:59 pm

Toy Story Mr. Potato Head, 1995 — Buena Vista Pictures/Everett Collection

Mr. Potato Head is a beloved children’s toy that dates all the way back to the 1950s. The toy got a resurgence when it appeared in the Toy Story films, voiced by the late Don Rickles, starting in 1995. Inventor and designer George Lerner created the toy inspired by his childhood game of putting items into different vegetables to create fun characters. He wanted other kids to experience this joy of imagination.

1The original Mr. Potato Head kit didn’t come with a potato

1950s 1960s Mr. Potato Head Fad Toy Potatoes Face Character Plastic Facial Features Eyes Ears Nose Glasses Mustache Pipe Funny

R. Dias/ClassicStock/Getty Images

These days, Mr. Potato Head comes with a plastic potato with holes for various eyes, arms, ears, nose, and mouth pieces. At first, the kit only included various plastic facial features with pushpins that you were supposed to stick into real potatoes or vegetables.

2It was the first toy advertised on TV

This was a big deal in the ’50s as the TV era was booming and it changed the way that toys were marketed to children. Mr. Potato Head’s early marketing slogan was “More Fun Than a Pillow Fight!”

3Hasbro took over in 1952

4th July 1953: A child playing with a Mr Potato head. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6578 - Cowboys Versus Spacemen - pub. 1953

Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The toy company Hasbro took over in 1952 and introduced the plastic potato body to the kit in 1964. The company wanted to increase the safety of the toy since the previous kits included sharp pushpins to fit the pieces into real vegetables.

4Don Rickles’ voice may still appear in the next ‘Toy Story’ film despite his death in 2017

Toy Story 2 Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, 1999

Everett Collection

Toy Story 5 is reportedly set to be released in 2026 and the late Don Rickles’ daughter Mindy is speaking out. She said she would love to hear her father’s voice as the character Mr. Potato Head again but would only allow the studio to use past recordings and not AI recreations. Keep in mind that Estelle Harris, who voiced Mrs. Potato Head, also passed away, so it is currently unknown what Pixar will do about the Potato Head family voices or if the characters will appear in the film at all.

5Technically, the toy is now just called Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head All toys are from Jerry's Toys&Hobbies of St Anthony

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In 2021, Hasbro announced that they would drop “Mr.” or “Mrs.” from the toys to make it more gender-neutral. They continue to update and add new items and now there is even a baby Potato!

6There is a six-foot version of Mr. Potato Head

New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso (C) speaks with Alan Hassenfeld (2nd R), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hasbro, Inc., the toymaker based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island which was listing on the NYSE, after moving from the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) 23 June 1999. Grasso and Hassenfeld are dressed as characters from the popular board game "Monopoly," made by Hasbro. "Mr. Potato Head" (L) is a toy produced by the Hasbro company

HENNY RAY ABRAMS/AFP via Getty Images

A team from Brigham Young University broke the Guinness World Record when they created the largest Mr. Potato Head at over six feet tall in the 2000s. There are now several huge versions in Rhode Island that you can visit and get your photo with.

Do you still own a Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head?