Impact On Popular Culture
Mr. Potato Head's popularity has led him to some appearances in films and television. In 1985, Mr Potato Head played a supporting role in Potato Head Kids, his first dramatic television appearance. In 1995, Mr. Potato Head appeared in the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story, voiced by Don Rickles. He returned between 1999 and 2010 in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 alongside Mrs. Potato Head. In 1998-99, he had his own short-lived Fox Kids series, The Mr. Potato Head Show. In addition to film and television, the character has been the subject of a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Cartoonist Gary Larson included the character in several of his The Far Side cartoons. In commercial for Bridgestone tires during Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, Mr. Potato Head is driving a car and Mrs. Potato Head is nagging him.
Mr Potato Head has also acted as spokesman for several causes. In 1987, Mr Potato Head surrendered his pipe to become the spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's annual "Great American Smokeout" campaign. He performed the role for several years. In 1992, he received a special award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness. In 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head joined the League of Women Voters and their "Get Out to Vote" campaign. Mr. Potato Head is also the inspiration/main character of an upcoming fan film, Potato Headed.
The famous toy has made other appearances. In 1997 Burger King brought him aboard for the introduction of their new French fry and their "Try the Fry" campaign. In Britain, Walkers crisps has a line of crisps called Potato Heads, featuring a Potato Head rendition of Gary Lineker on the packet. An interactive Audio-Animatronic version appears in the queue for the Toy Story Midway Mania! attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure Park.
Bill Bryson briefly talked about the character (its early incarnation) in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, calling it amongst the most pointless toys of his childhood—it let kids confirm the harsh truth that even with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hat, etc. it is still only a middle-class tuber.
Page 44 of Earth (The Book) is dedicated to Mr. Potato Head, and he is described as a "popular children's toy whose sensory organs could be quickly removed and stored in" an unfortunate location. Mr. Potato Head is also the host of the video game, Hasbro Family Game Night and its sequels.
In the English language, "potato-head" is informal term for either a person with a potato-like shape to their head, or someone who lacks intelligence. It is in reference to this, and not the toy, that Louis Armstrong recorded Potato Head Blues in 1927.
In the pilot episode of the sitcom Friends, Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel Green explains to the gang how her ex-fiance looked just like Mr. Potato Head
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