The toy giant Hasbro caused a lot of confusion on Thursday when it announced that it would leave the title “Mr.” of its iconic Potato Head product line, first launched in 1952, in an attempt to make the brand more inclusive. The news sparked a torrent of online outrage from conservatives.
“Hasbro is ensuring that everyone feels welcome in the world of Potato Head by officially withdrawing Mr. Potato Head’s brand name and logo from Mr. Potato Head to promote gender equality and inclusion,” the company said Thursday. market. Hasbro also announced that it would launch the “Potato Family Pack” – which includes two adult-sized potatoes, along with a young potato – to encourage children to “raise their Potato Head family”.
“The culture has evolved,” said Kimberly Boyd, senior vice president and general manager of Hasbro, according to the Associated Press. “Children want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand currently exists – with ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ – is limiting when it comes to gender identity and family structure. “
The announcement initially left many confused about whether the company was discarding its characters Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head together, so Hasbro was quick to issue a second statement.
“Hold this Tot – your main potato, MR. POTATO HEAD is not going anywhere!” the company wrote on twitter. “Although it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand and logo are no longer ‘MR.’ I am proud to confirm that Mr and Mrs POTATO HEAD are not going anywhere and will remain as Mr and Mrs POTATO HEAD. “
Although toy companies like Mattel have gone beyond the limits of representation in terms of ethnicity, size inclusion and disability, Hasbro is at the forefront of gender identity and expression. Hasbro’s move will allow children to design their own unique conception of gender norms on their toys, ending the heteronormative image presented by the initial product line.
Predictably, Hasbro’s announcement set off alarms among right-wing analysts, who cited the movement as just another indulgence for social justice activists trying to subvert unbreakable social structures.
“Mr. Potato Head has been renamed to include the genre”, tweeted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., “He will now be called Potato Head. When will activists demand that Joe Biden stop using the catch phrase” Come on, man “? For the sake of inclusion, it should be” Come on there, Person! “
Conservative radio host and longtime supplier of “facts about feelings” Ben Shapiro I joined: “Happy Purim to all! Apparently, according to Jewish law, you must drink enough to not know the difference between Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.”
“MR POTATO HEAD CANCELLED: Hasbro will release ‘Gendered Toy’ and will launch ‘Potato Head’ this year,” Fox News anchor Sean Hannity posted on his website.
The clamor of Boebert, Shapiro and Hannity comes when a fanaticism brigade led by Republicans rises on the Capitol.
On Thursday, Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., Delivered a transphobic controversy to Dr. Rachel Levine, the first trans woman to be appointed to a position confirmed by the Senate as assistant secretary of health. Rand compared sex reassignment surgery to “genital mutilation” and argued that American culture is not only “normalizing the idea that minors can receive hormones”, but also increasing the rate of young people with trans identity because of “social pressure to conform and do what others do. “
Paul’s speech was preceded by another transphobic incident earlier this week, in which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Put on a transphobic signal – which said “There are TWO GENDERS MALE AND WOMAN. Trust science!” –– outside the office of Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill, who has a transgender daughter. Green’s bitter gesture came in response to Newman’s promotion of the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.