AN OLD FAMILY "FRIEND."

    THURSDAY, APRL 11, 2024

  AN OLD FAMILY "FRIEND!"

   Today we're saluting an old

family friend that's probably been

at your house at one time or

another. Mr. Potato Head! Invented

by George Lerner was back in 1949.

Mr. Lerner came up with a set of

facial features designed to be inserted

into things like potatoes. But they were

originally also used in things like

carots or onions and the like. He

eventually sold his idea to a company

that was to become Hasbro and, in

1952, that company launched the first

television ad for a kid's toy...Mr. Potato

Head. That also became the first so 

called "Pester Ad", designed to get kids

to perter their parents to buy the toy. At

that point the facial parts were made to

be used on a potato or a Styrofoam base.

That became a problem because those

parts had to be sharp and regulators didn't

like the idea of sharp pieces being used

for kids. So the toy was redesigned with

the plastic base we see still today. Mr

Potato Head, a popular toy my wife

insists was named for me! Hope you're

still enjoying Mr. Potato Head and that

all your NEWS is good!