Gone is the “
Monsieur Patate
”
brand
, a cult toy from the Hasbro group.
The manufacturer announced Thursday, February 25 that it would market a non-gendered potato family, although it was then keen to ensure that the gendered toys themselves would remain.
Only the brand and the logo losing the attribute "
Mr.
".
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These toys, introduced in 1952 and featured in the “
Toy Story
” film series, are a staple of American families.
From a plastic potato shape, children are asked to create their own character by adding attributes such as eyes - with eyebrows made up for Madame Patate, for example - a mouth, with lipstick for Madame - a mustache for Monsieur, shoes with heels or not, etc ...
In a first statement posted on its website Thursday, Hasbro said it now wanted to "
make sure everyone feels welcome in the world of potato heads by officially abandoning the 'Mister Potato Head' brand and logo.
" .
With the intention of “
promoting gender equality and inclusion
”.
But another, shorter press release then replaced it, indicating that "
the emblematic characters of Mr. and Mrs. Patate would not disappear
", without specifying however in what form they would be maintained.
The new text also removed any mention of inclusion or gender equality, simply stating that it was about “
celebrating the different faces of families
”.
Barbie, cutting edge on the subject
In recent years, toy makers have repeatedly reviewed traditional toys - starting with dolls - in response to denunciations of stereotypes that are sexist, racist, or promoting
traditional
“beauty”
canons
.
“Mixed”
toys
, intended to avoid stereotypes of the male or female role, in particular, have multiplied.
Mattel, creator of Barbie dolls, has been at the forefront, with its “
creatable world
” range, dolls with the body of a child of 8-10 years old and with short hair.
Distributors are not left out, such as Target stores, which try to eliminate from their shelves messages reinforcing these stereotypes, such as the colors pink / blue.
[Article originally published Thursday February 25, 2021, and updated Saturday February 27]
SEE ALSO -
In 2019, Mattel launched an "
inclusive
"
doll
