Mr. Potato Head has rebranded to promote gender equality and the conservatives of the internet are not too happy about the change.
Toy giant, Hasbro has announced that the popular Toy Story toy, Mr Potato Head will no longer be labelled as a male. Renamed as just Potato Head, the company has made the change to “support gender equality and inclusion.”
Hasbro, which has been responsible for manufacturing and selling the iconic toy for almost 70 years, made the statement overnight, announcing that the changes will be seen later in the year.
The company’s changed the iconic toy, as seen in the movie Toy Story, in the hopes of reflecting the modern society. Stating that the toy was merely “a potato,” editor in chief Ali Mierzejewski from toy reviewing site Toy Insider explained, “kids like to see themselves in the toys they are playing with.”
In the newly branded version of the toy, children will be able to create their own family; including two mums or two dads. Owners of Potato Head will now be able to add their chosen characteristics, clothes, and physical features to the body of the potato.
I love that you jumped on Twitter to say that potatoes are genderless and therefore potato based toys should also be genderless lol
— jonathan two dollars (@JonnyTwoBucks) February 25, 2021
The decision to make the toy gender neutral, however, hasn’t come without controversy, with the internet erupting with their own opinions of this decision.
“Bigotry ANNIHILATED,” right-wing commentator and WAP-enthusiast Shapiro tweeted. “Mrs. Potato Head has also been killed off. She will be replaced by an asexual can of Pringles.”
LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD shared that this announcement is a step in the right direction. Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s chief communications officer, shared in a statement that, “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.”
The company’s gender-neutral change follows companies such as Barbie and toy giant Mattel who are have made dolls in a range of ethnicities, body sizes, and neutral genders.
Conservatives seeing the Mr. Potato Head story pic.twitter.com/f6WeDuiLal
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 25, 2021
