Mr. Potato Head

Eyes, ears, nose, mouth - put them wherever you want! Mr. Potato Head has been making funny faces since 1952.

You start with a pile of plastic ears, noses, funny mouths, hats, and mustaches - put the eyes where the ears should be, put an ear where the nose usually goes. Nobody said Mr. Potato Head had to look normal.

That was the whole idea - there was no “right” way to build him. Put the eyes where the ears belonged, move the mouth to the top of the head, add a mustache, change the hat, and start over again. Half the fun was just seeing who could design the most ridiculous face.

Yes, the original Mr. Potato Head really did require you to supply your own real potato or other vegetable. When the toy went on sale in 1952, the box contained plastic eyes, noses, mouths, ears, and other pieces, along with a Styrofoam head for practice. The familiar plastic potato body didn't arrive until later.

Mr. Potato Head is best suited for younger kids - older kids may get bored pretty quickly. There’s no actual game play or strategy, it’s just a fun (and funny) activity that can be enjoyed sitting around the kitchen table with family and friends (and I recall that some of the arrangements of parts my siblings and I came up with were pretty funny!)

Mr. Potato Head holds an interesting place in advertising history - he was the first toy advertised on television. The commercials were aimed directly at children rather than just their parents. It worked. The toy was a major hit, and, as those of us old enough to remember can confirm, toy advertising aimed directly at children became a very familiar (and constant) part of television for decades to come.

With the success of Mr. Potato Head, he was soon joined by Mrs. Potato Head, and over the years a whole Potato Head Family appeared with plenty of new faces, costumes, and accessories. Mr. Potato Head also got a pretty substantial career boost when he appeared in Toy Story, complete with Don Rickles as his voice.