Mr. Potato Head's Birthday

♦      May 1: On this day in 1952, Mr. Potato Head was officially “born.” In 1949, George Lerner, a toy inventor from Brooklyn, created this idea by taking plastic facial features and body parts and inserting them into fruits and vegetables. The notion of using food as toys wasn’t a very popular one because Americans remembered the rationing of food and other materials during World War II. Toy manufacturers considered it to be a waste of resources and rejected the idea outright. Then, in 1951, Lerner showed his idea to Henry and Merrill Hassenfeld, who were operating a business selling school supplies and tools. They were interested in the idea and gave Lerner and Mr. Potato Head their big break.

- toys.lovetoknow.com

♦      1964: The year a plastic potato body was included with the toy. Up until this point, only the “face” pieces were sold and buyers had to supply their own potato or other vegetable. It’s unclear why this changed occurred – maybe parents were tired of finding rotting, shriveled potatoes in their kids’ rooms, or a new response to a toy safety regulation.

- yankeemagazine.com

♦      Ambassador: Mr. Potato Head’s appeal to the young and the old made him a favorite Ambassador. In 1987, he surrendered his signature pipe to the U.S. Surgeon General, Everett Koop, and became the “spokespud” for the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout campaign. He carried this role for several years. Also, on Mr. Potato Head’s 40^th birthday, the conclusion was made that he couldn’t be a “couch potato” anymore. Because of this revelation, he received a special award from the President’s Council for Physical Fitness.

- ideafinder.com

♦      Tortilla: Mr. Potato Head’s disguise in Toy Story 3. While the toys were escaping, Mr. Potato Head escaped, but without his body. The other toys slid a tortilla under the door for him. He stuck all of his pieces into the tortilla. Later in the movie, a pigeon came and pecked at him, but miraculously, he managed to scare the bird away. After this ordeal, Mr. Potato Head went into the garden and used a cucumber as a body.

- funtrivia.com

♦      2000: The year Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, along with four other childhood staples: Slinky, the jump rope, jacks, and the bicycle. This made him one of only 46 toys to ever be honored to date.

- bugsandbunnies.blogspot.com

                                  

Is your organization putting its best face forward?

Our Customer Perception Survey can help you find out.