Hasbro announced this week that it's giving Mr. Potato Head a 21st Century upgrade with a whole potato family, including a gender-neutral potato.
The news prompted a meltdown among conservative culture warriors who have issues with anything gender-neutral. Potatoes don't have a gender.
YouTube conspiracy theorist Mark Dice replied to an Associated Press report about it saying, "It's time for Republican states to secede."
The insanity NEVER ends. Mr. Potato Head has been canceled! https://t.co/xVmWvUdysJ— Mark Dice (@Mark Dice)1614274378.0
It prompted questions about the next steps in secession and whether Republican states would mandate checkpoints to ensure no gender-neutral potatoes were brought into their country or whether no modern potato heads would be sold in the Republican states.
Others, like Piers Morgan, took issue with Hasbro continuing their toy business amid the pandemic.
Imagine thinking in the middle of a global pandemic: 'What's really important is dropping the 'Mr' from Mr Potato H… https://t.co/wie6jh7EWO— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan)1614275706.0
Mr Potato Head is now non binary. You still don’t have health insurance. 🤷 https://t.co/YWowKQKE2n— Tim Dillon (@Tim Dillon)1614274846.0
The reality to the Potato Head story is far less controversial, Politico's Chris Suellentrop noted with the statement from Hasbro.
"Looking ahead to 2021, Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the 'Mr.' from the Mr Potato Head brand name. The new branding and logo bring a fresh look with a whimsical color palette and will introduce new product, including Create Your Own Potato Head Family, to appeal to the modern consumer.
"The Create Your Own Potato Head Family, launching this Fall, is a celebration of the many faces of families, allowing kids to imagine and create their own Potato Head family with 2 large potato bodies, 1 small potato body, and 42 accessories, their potato family can have up to 2 parents, and a baby."
See the full statement below:
This seems way less controversial than the way it’s being framed elsewhere https://t.co/WQK2IFBDSs— Chris Suellentrop (@Chris Suellentrop)1614276019.0
Mr. Poato Head will not undergo gender reassignment surgery because he never had genitals, because he is a potato.
You can see other conservative anger below:
Mr. Potato Head has now been made gender neutral and will be called “Potato Head” from here on out. Will we be dig… https://t.co/tEA4staSZt— Chris Bish 🇺🇲 (@Chris Bish 🇺🇲)1614276100.0
Ben Shapiro is throwing a fit because Mr. Potato Head is now a gender neutral children's toy. What an extremely sad… https://t.co/gheZW59dHx— Nathan Bernard (@Nathan Bernard)1614276317.0
oh no they've cancelled mr. potato head goddamn you goddamn you all to hell https://t.co/4HvARokJqK— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer)1614277506.0
Just when you think things can't get more absurd... https://t.co/q5VuSBrmUT— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica)1614275156.0
What about Mrs. Potato Head? Do the Toy Story films have to go back and edit their dialogue now? https://t.co/LzzJVuY0kJ— Cody Derespina (@Cody Derespina)1614275051.0
Mr Potato Head after sixty years of entertaining children of all ages will undergo gender reassignment and become g… https://t.co/AwjEAE4eCm— WokeyLeaks (@WokeyLeaks)1614277485.0
The conservative outrage quickly drew mockery from the left, which you can see in tweets below:
[How Republicans remember the Mr. Potato Head jingle] "It's Mr. Potato Head, and his bucket of junk. Different kin… https://t.co/ot8aeiPjWO— Elie Mystal (@Elie Mystal)1614278885.0
"Throw your Mr. Potato Head away, Billy! We're boycotting the Radical Left's Woke Agenda." "But --" "BUT NOTHING.… https://t.co/hZQ37O5TeY— Glen Weldon (@Glen Weldon)1614277782.0
Will the Mr Potato Head scandal be the precipitating event that leads to America’s second civil war? Imagine being… https://t.co/fBW3mDozx8— Fat City Marijuana Inspector (@Fat City Marijuana Inspector)1614277471.0
please, God, don’t let Mr. Potato Head be the thing that pushes us to a second civil war. historians will never let… https://t.co/NsfsiPHaY9— tsar becket adams (@tsar becket adams)1614277431.0
Mr. Potato Head gets rebranded to Potato Head -> ???????? -> Republican states need to secede https://t.co/1DMFrfNqir— Chat 😼🥂 (@Chat 😼🥂)1614277005.0
Hasbro definitely shouldn’t focus on silly distractions like Mr. Potato Head when they could be doing the real work… https://t.co/i9M7Rn7G9V— Hutch (@Hutch)1614275441.0
who even gives children a mr potato head these days. imagine telling a kid “hey put down fortnite and come shove so… https://t.co/8UygzIbwAi— Brandy Jensen (@Brandy Jensen)1614277580.0
Oh no, now Tucker Carlson is going to talk about how Mr. Potato Head has a huge dick. https://t.co/vrirYh5Hzs— Eric Goldman (@Eric Goldman)1614277543.0
