It's mister no more. Hasbro announced it will release a gender-neutral Potato Head that drops the famous appellation.
The gender-neutral toy will be available in a new play set, released this fall, which will also allow kids to create families that reflect their own, such as having two dads or two moms.
Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, the original iconic toys, will reportedly continue to exist in some form, although the toy company has yet to offer details.
Rich Ferraro, GLAAD's chief communications officer, applauded the nonbinary toy spud.
"Hasbro's decision to introduce Potato Head as a gender-neutral toy is the latest move in a larger movement towards greater diversity and inclusion in toys and media aimed at kids," Ferraro said in a statement. "By offering a toy that exists outside of the binary of male and female, Hasbro is helping kids to simply see toys as toys, which encourages them to be their authentic selves outside of the pressures of traditional gender norms."
Mr. Potato Head, one of the world's most famous toys, was first released in 1952; then, kids had to supply their own vegetables to decorate. The plastic spud was added by Hasbro after its acquisition. Both Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head, a feminized version, were featured as characters in the popular Toy Story Pixar films.
Potato Head is also the most high-profile toy to rebrand as gender-neutral in a market that is receiving increased scrutiny over its needless gendering of products, a sign that other companies may follow suit. The move follows Mattel, which in 2019 launched its "Creatable World" line of gender-inclusive dolls.
