Mr. Potato Head
It's from 1952, before you were born.
- Maker
- Hasbro
- Type
- Build-a-figure
- Debuted
- 1952
- Note
- First toy advertised on TV
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About
As of 2026, it's 74 years old.
Mr. Potato Head launched in 1952 as a set of plastic facial features you stuck into a real potato — the toy that originally required a trip to the produce aisle. It also made history as the first toy ever advertised directly to children on television, kicking off the entire idea of marketing to kids.
By 1964 safety concerns (and complaints about rotting spuds) led to the now-iconic plastic potato body. He picked up a Mrs., a film career via Toy Story, and a brief 2021 branding kerfuffle, but the core joy — assembling a lumpy guy with mismatched parts — never changed.
Goofy, customizable, and historically important in spite of himself, Mr. Potato Head is the spud that taught Madison Avenue children were watching.
