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Last week Hasbro announced the removal of gender from the classic “Mr. Potato Head toys.” Hasbro stated the Mr. Potato Head brand will be losing the “Mr.” for a genderless “Potato Head.” While many instantly became enraged that they would dare change a classic toy from their childhoods, Hasbro quickly clarified their announcement.
While Mr. and Mrs. Potato head will live on, their potato family will grow, Hasbro will be releasing a genderless potato family playset. This playset will include both Mr. & Mrs. Accessories so that children can create their potato family however they choose, whether it be two moms, two dads, or just two non-binary parents raising a child. The possibilities will be endless and inclusive.
However, everyone seems to have only seen, or only paid attention to, the first announcement not the second one. There has been an uproar amongst people on-line about the gender, or lack of gender of a plastic potato. Those people are saying things such as “leave him alone, he’s a potato,” that the world has “gone crazy,” and many comments about cancel culture and political correctness. One of which was Piers Morgan, going on a rant about the new genderless Potato Head toys.
Those same people who are upset about a plastic potato are telling others to stop being upset about a plastic potato. The hypocrisy in these statements is laughable. At the end of the day this toy is a plastic potato with removable accessories, it has no gender. One could simply take the Mr. accessories off of the current plastic potato and then put the Mrs. Accessories and now it’s a female potato. These people seem to have no issue with that idea, but the issue is with a variety of accessories for plastic potatoes that is not assigned a Mr. or Mrs. label.
Many brands and toy companies have been working on updating toys and releasing new toys that are more inclusive. Barbie has become more inclusive in the last few years having dolls with disabilities, more skin colors, and a healthier and natural looking body. Inclusivity does not take away from the people who already relate to the toys, it just allows more space for everyone to relate to their toys. It seems as though people seem to forget that having inclusivity for all and equal rights is not equivalent to a pie chart. It does not take away from those who already have these things.
If a child wants to play with a certain toy it is because they relate to it, children like to play with toys that look like them and they can relate to. Why should the only toys available portray heterosexual relationships? If children shouldn’t be exposed to same sex relationships at a young age because it is inappropriate, as many homophobic people have stated, then why should they be allowed to see heterosexual relationships? The problem isn’t with PDA and the fear of their children learning about and being exposed to sex too early, it’s just homophobia.