NEW YORK 鈥� Is it Mr. Potato Head or not?
Hasbro created confusion Thursday when it announced that it would drop the 鈥淢r.鈥� from the brand鈥檚 name in order to be more inclusive and so all could feel 鈥渨elcome in the Potato Head world.鈥� It also said it would sell a new playset this fall without the Mr. and Mrs. designations that will let kids create their own type of potato families, including two moms or two dads.
But in a tweet later that afternoon, Hasbro clarified that while the brand is changing, the actual Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters will still live on and be sold in stores. In a picture posted on Twitter, the 鈥淢r.鈥� and 鈥淢rs.鈥� names are less prominently displayed at the bottom of the box, instead of the top.
鈥淲hile it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the 鈥楳R.鈥� I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren鈥檛 going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD,鈥� the company tweeted.
The tweet came after news of the brand name change exploded on Twitter, with people asking if Barbie will change her name next. 鈥淚 think Hasbro needs to drop the 鈥淏ro鈥� and just be 鈥淗as,'鈥� another person tweeted.
Hasbro appears to want to have it both ways: expand the brand, while not killing off its most iconic characters, which appeared in the 鈥淭oy Story鈥� films.
鈥淭hey are looking to broaden the franchise,鈥� said Robert Passikoff, founder of marketing consultancy Brand Keys. 鈥淵ou take the focus of what is essentially one character and now allow it to be a platform for many characters.鈥�
Kimberly Boyd, a senior
鈥淚t created a lot of excitement," she said about the reaction.
GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy group, applauded the more inclusive Potato playset.
鈥淗asbro 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,鈥� said Rich Ferraro, GLAAD鈥檚 chief communications officer, in a statement.
Many toymakers have been updating their classic brands in recent years, hoping to relate to today鈥檚 kids and reflect more modern families.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a potato,鈥� said Ali Mierzejewski, editor in chief at toy review site The Toy Insider, about the new playset. 鈥淏ut kids like to see themselves in the toys they are playing with.鈥�
Barbie, for example, has tried to shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. The Thomas the Tank Engine toy line added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
Mr. Potato Head first hit the toy scene in 1952, when it didn鈥檛 even come with a plastic potato 鈥� kids had to supply their own vegetable to poke eyes, a nose or
Joseph Pisani, The Associated Press
