Friday, April 19, 2024

The iconic Mr. Potato Head is going gender neutral

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How often do you pick up a potato and assume its gender? Yam I right?

Boy? Girl?

“It’s a potato,” said Ali Mierzejewski, editor-in-chief at toy review site The Toy Insider about the popular Hasbro toy, Mr. Potato Head.

For Hasbro’s hottest potato toy that’s not necessarily the case.

Now, Hasbro said it will release a new Potato Head playset in the fall that won’t subscribe to any prefix.

The new playset transforms the 70-year old Mr. Potato Head into an all-inclusive potato – released of its binary gender roles.

The change comes amid criticism over the lack of inclusivity against the toy industry and other mainstream products.

This past month, Quaker Oats released a new name and logo for its “Aunt Jemima” products, retiring the racist stereotype that defined the brand for years.

Mattel, the company who introduced the world to Barbie, was criticized for its unrealistic beauty standards and a lack of diversity for years.

Last year, Barbie unveiled a launch of diverse dolls some of which had vitiligo and prosthetics.

The company promoted the line in a tweet saying, “More skin tones, More body types, More unique looks!”

Hasbro appears to be going in a more inclusive direction for kids.

But for those fans of the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head brand, Hasbro said it will continue to make the popular toys as well.

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