Katy Winn/AP Images
Mr. Potato Head walks the red carpet.
People say you shouldn’t play with your food. But 75 years ago, a toy inventor thought you should. That’s how Mr. Potato Head was born!
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Mrs. Potato Head); Finnbarr Webster/Alamy Stock Photo (Mr. Potato Head)
The History of Mr. Potato Head
By Molly Bradley
From the May / June 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: Learn about the history of Mr. Potato Head, a famous toy.
Lexile® measure: 580L
Vocabulary: accessories, spud, produce
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
The First Potato Head
In 1949, an inventor came up with an unusual idea for a toy. Instead of making dolls or action figures, he made little plastic body parts.
Kids could stick the parts into fruits or vegetables to make funny faces. The toy inventor made noses, eyes, ears, and even mustaches! He also made accessories to put on the faces, like glasses and hats. He called his toy Mr. Potato Head.
At first, packets of these body parts were sold in cereal boxes. Then a toy company agreed to help sell the toy. Mr. Potato Head became the first toy to ever be in a TV commercial!
A Better Potato Head
Kids loved Mr. Potato Head. So the company added Mrs. Potato Head and two kids, Brother Spud and Sister Yam. Kids loved them too!
There was just one problem with toys made from food. The fruits and vegetables would rot! Parents got tired of finding spoiled produce under their kids’ beds.
So in 1964, the toy company made a plastic head to go with the body parts. The head was big and brown like a potato.
Mr. Potato Head Today
Mr. Potato Head became wildly popular. More than 100 million Potato Head toys have been sold around the world! You may even have seen Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head as characters in the Toy Story movies.
Now there are a lot of Potato Heads based on characters on TV and in movies. You can find Darth Tater, Spud Lightyear, and more! What character would you like to see on a Potato Head?
Mr. Potato Head Timeline
Danyelle Marie (Potato); Courtesy of Hasbro (Plastic); Lisa Poole/AP Images (Darth Tater)
75 Years Ago: Mr. Potato Head on a real potato
60 Years Ago: Mr. Potato Head with a plastic head
Today: You can find characters like Darth Tater!
Activities
(4)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
In-Person Lesson Plan
Implementation
- Small group; whole group; independent reading
Pairings and Text Connections
- In this issue, these texts all go with the toys and games theme:
“Welcome to Mario’s World,” p. 4
“The History of Mr. Potato Head,” p. 22
“Were These Toys a Good Idea?,” p. 24
“Which Are More Fun: Hula Hoops or Stomp Rockets?,” p. 30
“Welcome to Mario’s World,” p. 4
“The History of Mr. Potato Head,” p. 22
“Were These Toys a Good Idea?,” p. 24
“Which Are More Fun: Hula Hoops or Stomp Rockets?,” p. 30
Before-Reading Resources
- Text Preview Bookmarks
(5 minutes) Students can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
- Play the Vocabulary Slideshow
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with the vocabulary words they will see in the article.
(5 minutes) Students can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with the vocabulary words they will see in the article.
Suggested Reading Focus
Nonfiction text features (20 minutes)
- Point out the bar on the right side of the page. Do students know what this is? Hint: The headline tells you. (It’s a timeline.)
- Explain that a timeline shows the order in which things happened. You can see how long ago each thing happened on the arrow.
After-Reading Skills Practice
- Quiz: Comprehension check (15 minutes)
- Toys and Games Chart: Compare the themed texts in the issue. (15 minutes)
- My Favorite Toy: In this personal response writing activity, students will draw one of their favorite toys and answer questions about it. (30 minutes)
Text-to-Speech