The 1970s
The Mr.
& Mrs. Potato Head body style stayed pretty much the same in the 1960’s
and into the early 1970’s. The familiar configuration of “big plastic head
with small body” was sold in an all new colorful box in 1972.
The early
1970’s did however see the release of a few bizarre Mr. Potato Head toys.
The world at this time was being painted with crazy psychedelic attitudes
and expressions, and Mr. Potato Head wasn’t immune to the times. The very
strange Potato Head Bird, Potato Head Fish and Potato Head Bug playsets made
their debut. These sets apparently weren’t very popular... as not many sets
exist today. They were also the last of the Mr. Potato Head toys to have
the small plastic head.
Then came a dark time
for Mr. Potato Head... darker skin that is. In addition to getting a serious
tan, he underwent some strange changes. The 1973 head doubled in size from
the previous Spud. And the head was not the only part to be enlarged. The
face pieces, thanks to even more strict government safety regulations,
were also made larger. But even worse, he lost his body and hands! Little
blue stubby feet were now the extent of Mr. Potato Head’s appendages! Plus,
the round holes in his head were replaced with horizontal and vertical
slots. This allowed the pieces to be inserted basically in one direction.
Where was the fun in that? No more crooked mouths or twisted ears!
There’s even
more bad news. The long list of multiple playsets that sprouted in the
1960’s faded away in 1973 to just a few minor variations and parts. When
the new 1973 style was introduced, Mr. Potato Head was the only character
you could buy. With the exception of one Sears exclusive in 1980, Mrs. Potato
Head only existed as a box of accessory parts that was sold separately and
used with Mr. Potato’s head. A Fireman accessory pack, and a Sheriff accessory
pack eventually became available. With only a few custom accessories, these
packs were useless if you didn’t already own a Mr. Potato Head playset.
And Mr. Potato
Head wasn’t the only thing going through changes. Hasbro acquired the
toy company Romper Room during this time. Hasbro used the Romper Room
name to market most of their toys that were targeted toward younger consumers.
Thus, many Mr. Potato Head playsets from this era began appearing with the
Romper Room logo.
And one more
tidbit of information. The 1970’s Mr. Potato Heads were advertised on
TV with a snappy new jingle; "I made you! You know it's true! Mr.
Potato Head, I made you!"
Collectors
shouldn’t have a problem locating the large brown Mr. & Mrs. Potato
Head sets and parts from this era. The Sheriff is the hardest to find. The
earlier Bird, Fish and Bug however are practically nonexistent. Don’t pass
these items up if you ever find them!
