So mash for that.
Hasbro is scrambling to reassure fans that Mr. Potato Head still exists — amid uproar over its gender-neutral rebranding announcement.
“Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere!,” the company tweeted on Thursday evening.
The classic toy firm sparked a social media frenzy on Thursday morning when it announced that it would be dropping “Mr.” and “Mrs.” from the brand as part of a gender-inclusive push.
“Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences,” Kimberly Boyd, Hasbro’s senior vice president of global brands, told Fast Company.
“The way the brand currently exists — with the ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ — is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.”
Many on social media dismissed the move as half-baked, while others just rolled their eyes at the hubbub.
Several hours later, Hasbro clarified that it was the toy brand that was being changed to “Potato Head” — and that the beloved Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters would still exist, names and all.
The company will also be releasing a Potato Head “family kit” that will let kids “create all types of families,” it said in a statement.
“While we’re renaming the Mr. Potato Head brand to Potato Head to better reflect the full line, the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters aren’t going anywhere,” a spokeswoman for the firm, Catalina Ramirez, told The Post.
“The new product we announced today Create Your Potato Head Family is a kit that includes enough potatoes and accessories for kids to create all types of families,” she added.
Several toymakers have recently updated their brands to appeal to kids today — including Barbie, who shed her blonde image and got a makeover to include more skin tones and body shapes.
Thomas the Tank Engine also added more female characters and American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
With Post Wires
