Mr. Potato Head

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

Eyes. Ears. Nose. Mouth. Hat. Mustache. Stick them into a potato and make whatever face you want. Put the eyes where the ears belong, or put the mouth on top of the head. Nobody said Mr. Potato Head had to look normal.

And yes, the original Mr. Potato Head really did require using a real potato. When the toy went on sale in 1952, the box contained plastic eyes, noses, mouths and other pieces that children could push into an actual potato or other vegetable. The familiar plastic potato body didn't arrive until later.

Mr. Potato Head holds an interesting place in advertising history - it was the first toy advertised on television, with commercials aimed directly at children rather than just their parents. It worked - the toy was a major hit (and advertising directly aimed at children worked, too - the airwaves for the next several decades were filled with commercials for toys, targeted directly to children).

With the success of Mr. Potato Head, he was soon joined by Mrs. Potato Head, and over the years the Potato Head family picked up 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.