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'So just a potato then?': Mr Potato Head fans are left baffled after classic toy gets gender-neutral rebrand

  Toy giant Hasbro is facing backlash today after announcing a rebranding of Mr and Mrs Potato Head which will see the iconic toys become ge...

 Toy giant Hasbro is facing backlash today after announcing a rebranding of Mr and Mrs Potato Head which will see the iconic toys become gender neutral.  

The change - which will drop the 'Mr' from Mr Potato Head brand - has sparked fevered debate, with many accusing Hasbro of bending to 'woke' culture by changing a cultural icon that has been on toy shelves since 1952.  

Piers Morgan is among the critics hitting out at 'woke imbeciles' with others pointing out the character 'identified as male' in the Pixar smash hit, Toy Story. 


US company Hasbro, which revealed the change in a presentation to investors on Thursday, said the gender-neutral name comes as societal roles change; with increasing numbers of single-parent households and same-sex parents. 

OUT WITH THE OLD: The old-style potato family, pictured above, will be retired. The change will appear on boxes this year, Hasbro said

OUT WITH THE OLD: The old-style potato family, pictured above, will be retired. The change will appear on boxes this year, Hasbro said

IN WITH THE NEW: The new Potato Family Pack 'Create Your Potato Head Family' kits, pictured above, launching this fall will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories so children can create opposite-sex or same-sex parents

IN WITH THE NEW: The new Potato Family Pack 'Create Your Potato Head Family' kits, pictured above, launching this fall will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories so children can create opposite-sex or same-sex parents

Piers Morgan is among the critics hitting out at 'woke imbeciles' in the wake of the announcement today

Piers Morgan is among the critics hitting out at 'woke imbeciles' in the wake of the announcement today 

One social media user shared the script which shows Mr Potato Head correcting Woody when he fails to address him as Mister

One social media user shared the script which shows Mr Potato Head correcting Woody when he fails to address him as Mister

Social media users reacted to the news by saying the removal of the Mr makes the toy 'just a potato'

Social media users reacted to the news by saying the removal of the Mr makes the toy 'just a potato' 

'So just a potato then?' questioned another Twitter user in a post on social media

'So just a potato then?' questioned another Twitter user in a post on social media

IN THE MOVIES: Mr and Mrs Potato Head appearing in Toy Story 2 in 1999, which propelled them to renewed popularity. No word from Disney on whether the rebrand would affect the movies

IN THE MOVIES: Mr and Mrs Potato Head appearing in Toy Story 2 in 1999, which propelled them to renewed popularity. No word from Disney on whether the rebrand would affect the movies

Hasbro later insisted on Twitter Mr and Mrs Potato Head will still exist. The new Mrs Potato Head
The new Mr Potato Head

Hasbro later insisted on Twitter Mr and Mrs Potato Head will still exist as separate characters in the 'Potato Head' lineup sharing new versions of the gendered characters (above)

It remains unclear how the rebrand will affect the Toy Story film series where Mr and Mrs Potato Head have starring roles. 

Mr and Mrs Potato Head will exist as separate characters in the 'Potato Head' lineup. So while customers won't see 'Mr Potato Head' on the toy box's main branding, they'll still be able to pick up a Mr or Mrs Potato Head from store shelves. 

The new Potato Family Pack 'Create Your Potato Head Family' kits will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories. 

Children will then be able to make gendered or non-gendered characters, and same-sex, single-parent or traditional potato families, in line with what the company says are 'changing societal roles.'

The rebranded toy will hit shelves later this year. 


Hasbro announced: 'Launching this Fall, the CREATE YOUR POTATO HEAD FAMILY is a celebration of the many faces of families. 

'Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr from the Mr Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion.'

The name change will come with a fresh branding with a 'whimsical colour palette and more inclusive messaging', the company added. 

Hasbro Senior Vice President Kimberly Boyd said the toy's current gender identities were 'limiting' to children and in need of a modern makeover. 

She said: 'Culture has evolved. 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.

'Kids like dressing up the toy, then playing out scenarios from their life. This often takes the form of creating little potato families because they're learning what it means to be in a family.'  

The new look: The new Potato Family Pack 'Create Your Potato Head Family' kits will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories

The new look: The new Potato Family Pack 'Create Your Potato Head Family' kits will include two non-gendered adult potatoes, one baby potato and 42 accessories

Children will then be able to make gendered or non-gendered characters, and same-sex or single-parent potato families - along with making traditional families

Children will then be able to make gendered or non-gendered characters, and same-sex or single-parent potato families - along with making traditional families

The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall and aims to cater to changing societal roles

The rebranded toy will hit shelves in the fall and aims to cater to changing societal roles

The rebrand will now mean children from non-traditional families can create potato families that are more in line with their own, she added.  

The toy will also be made from plant-based plastic. 

One social media user shared a clip of Toy Story when Mr Potato Head corrects the character Woody when he fails to address him as Mr. 

'Throw back Thursday to when Mr Potato Head admonished Woody when he wouldn't respect his pronouns. 'That's Mister Potato Head to you, you backstabbing murderer (Hasbro)!' they tweeted. 

Both Mr Potato Head and Mrs Potato Head were still listed on Hasbro's website under their gendered names as of Thursday afternoon. 

DailyMail.com has contacted Disney for comment.  

The rebrand sparked fevered debate on social media with some people calling the move 'woke' and 'absurd.'

'What planet is #hasbro on? No Mr potato Head? Absurd I say,' one person tweeted. 

'Mr Potato Head will always be... a potato. Hasbro can't take away the genitals of a spud that never had any to begin with. #thiscountryisNUTS,' another person tweeted.

'Take your gender correct pronouns and stick them in Mr Potato Heads rear. #mrpotatohead #wokepolice.'  

The new range will also include box sets that don't present the traditional family structure so children can make same-sex or single-parent potato families in line with changing societal roles.

The new range will also include box sets that don't present the traditional family structure so children can make same-sex or single-parent potato families in line with changing societal roles. 

A 2011 Mr Potato Head range. Hasbro Senior Vice President Kimberly Boyd said the toy's current gender identities were 'limiting' to children and were in need of a modern makeover

A 2011 Mr Potato Head range. Hasbro Senior Vice President Kimberly Boyd said the toy's current gender identities were 'limiting' to children and were in need of a modern makeover

The rebrand has sparked debate on social media with some people calling the move 'woke' and 'absurd'

The rebrand has sparked debate on social media with some people calling the move 'woke' and 'absurd'

Many people questioned what this means for the future of Mrs Potato Head as well

Many people questioned what this means for the future of Mrs Potato Head as well

Others welcomed the news and called for the toymaker to also face a rebrand

Others welcomed the news and called for the toymaker to also face a rebrand 

One person  used the announcement to poke fun at gender pay gaps on social media

One person  used the announcement to poke fun at gender pay gaps on social media

The rebrand prompted this individual to slam the 'snowflakes' who were 'taking over'

The rebrand prompted this individual to slam the 'snowflakes' who were 'taking over' 

Others questioned what the rebrand means 'for Mrs Potato Head'. 

'Does Mrs Potato Head know?' one asked. 

The rebrand of the childhood favourite comes as other toy makers launch updates to appeal, they say, to a broader spectrum of children.

Barbie has shed her blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. 

Thomas the Tank Engine added more female characters while American Girl is now selling a boy doll.  

One man joked that Mr Potato head would instead be rebranded 'Gender Equality Pomme De Terre' on social media

One man joked that Mr Potato head would instead be rebranded 'Gender Equality Pomme De Terre' on social media

A Twitter user referenced the toy's title saying that his 'brute force masculinity' was his appeal

A Twitter user referenced the toy's title saying that his 'brute force masculinity' was his appeal

This social media post poked fun at the change to a 'gender neutral' toy by posting a picture of a regular potato

This social media post poked fun at the change to a 'gender neutral' toy by posting a picture of a regular potato

Another joked that the gender neutral toy would from now on be 'known as mash'

Another joked that the gender neutral toy would from now on be 'known as mash' 

Mr Potato Head arrives at the world premiere of Toy Story 3 in Los Angeles in 2010

Mr Potato Head arrives at the world premiere of Toy Story 3 in Los Angeles in 2010

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