Mr. Potato Head Day has been celebrated on April 30 since 1952, when Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to appear on television.
This T.V. commercial starring Mr. Potato Head was the first advertisement that targeted children specifically.
This holiday honors the beloved toy that changed the face of advertising. Featuring a plastic potato body, it has a variety of other plastic parts that can be attached to it — like a cap, nose, mouth, eyes, ears, and even feet!
The list of additional accessories has grown over time to include even items such as a car and a boat trailer.
George Lerner of Brooklyn came up with the concept of a “funny face man” in the 1940s, a character created by inserting pronged body and face components into a fruit or vegetable. Lerner’s suggestion was turned down. In 1951, he presented his concept to Henry and Merrill Hassenfeld, owners of the Hasbro toy and school supply company. Lerner was offered a $500 advance as well as a 5% royalty on each kit sold. Mr. Potato Head was the moniker given to the toy.
Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to appear in a television commercial on April 30, 1952. It was also the first television commercial aimed at children rather than parents. The toy was released the day following the ad for $0.98. There was no plastic potato included, so you had to use a real potato. Four noses, three hats, two sets of eyes, mouths, ears, feet, hands, a pipe, eyeglasses, which were made of plastic, and eight pieces of felt for facial hair were all included in the toy kits of Mr. Potato Head.
In the 1960s, government rules mandated that the parts be less pointed, making it more difficult to penetrate potatoes. In 1964, a plastic potato was added to the toy package as a reaction. In the 1970s, new safety standards led to the doubling of the potato’s size in 1975, as well as an increase in the size of the attachments.
