The Classic Toy “ Mr. Potato Head” Would Never Become a Success in Today ' s Overprotective Society

by: Geoff Ficke

The Classic Toy “ Mr. Potato Head” Would Never

Become a Success in Today’ s Overprotective Society

In the behind 1940’ s a Brooklyn - based inventor named George Lerner began to fling to license a toy concept he had developed. The image was to take pieces of fruit and vegetables and dress them with human facial features made from brief versatile parts. The goal was to enable kids to create for grins faces on their veggies.

Mr. Lerner shopped the idea to many toy companies. None were concerned. After the hardship and shortages of World Enmity II, it was thought that the resulting waste of food from decorating perishables with hysterical shaped eyes, brows, ears and lips would be empitic as trivial. Nevertheless, the inventor was zealous of his prototype and plodded onward.

After several second childhood of making no progress with toy manufacturers in his push to license the product George Lerner was in conclusion successful in selling the talented parts as a premium promotion for cereal producers. While thrilled to conclusively have his creation in children’ s hands, albeit as a give - away, Mr. Lerner spun out to admit that his forthcoming with the item place in the toy world. He kept pitching to toy companies.

In 1951 Lerner introduced the product to a small manufacturer just inflowing the toy gathering: Hassenfeld Brothers. They agreed to license the product and launch it as a stand - alone toy. Mr. Potato Head was born. The commencing kit came with a set of multiple facial parts that could be mixed and proportionate by children to create risible, miserable, silly facial expressions when the parts were stuck onto vegetables. Potatoes became the favorite body to build the faces on. Parents supplied the potatoes.

Mr. Potato Head was such a huge success that it became the first toy product ever advertised momentarily to children. It provided the impetus for a Saturday morning block of children’ s television programming that became ubiquitary in every home in America. In the 1960’ s a handy potato body was included in the set at the decree of the check. Brother Spud, Kissing cousin Yam and the Spud - ette’ s were introduced by the licensee. Hassenfeld Brothers had evolved into Hasbro and Mr. Potato Head was properly credited with supplying the launching pad for one of America’ s great toy companies.

Hasbro has done an amazing job of placing Mr. Potato Head in the classic Pixar - produced Toy Story movies, comic strips and television series.

In the 1970’ s, one of America’ s most sweetheart toy franchises came increasingly under the paternalistic gaze of the State Charge. For two decades children had come to love creating goofy faces and expressions for their Mr. Potato Head’ s. Suddenly the subjection began to take note that Mr. Potato Head contained small, sharp parts that had to be pushed into the body of the toy. Lawyers took note as well.

Through the caducity Mr. Potato Edge has undergone voluminous redesigns in uniformity to go on in compliance with ever changing regulations. The perspective of the blithe - face parts has been redesigned several times to eliminate points and tart edges. The pieces have been exponentially stringy to minimize the chance for swallowing. The facile potato body is accession the size of a soccer ball.

I played with Mr. Potato Foot as a child. So did my six brothers and sisters and the hundreds of kids in my community in the 1950’ s. Somehow we all survived.

Mr. Potato Edge survives despite a untrodden society that has become frighteningly stake - loath. My marketing consulting and product development Mission reviews many toy and game products every juncture. One of the most common reasons we decline offerings is through we are inimitably aware of the toy industry’ s fear of product liability and litigation issues. Many of these products would have been operable 50 senescence ago. Today they will not even be considered. It makes me harsh that a product review of Mr. Potato Head, conducted in 2011, would halfway willingly by-product in a declaration of decline for this classic.

Mr. Potato Head is a lover children’ s toy and will outlast to evolve to keep up in compliance with the whims of the nanny state. I want every child safe. Safety can never be compromised. In the 21st century, however, if Mr. Potato Head did not exist, it would find a much more problematic road to store shelves than it did in the 1950’ s. I fear we would never have known the toy. I know that millions of children would have enjoyed a much less fantastical inexperience without this simple, happy, innovative product.