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Who owns Hasbro? Mr Potato Head brand drops 'Mr' over gender issues, Internet says 'he's an average spud' now

There's a bit of confusion though because Hasbro confirmed that the individual Mr or Mrs Potato Head toys will not be renamed, but the Mr Potato Head brand will be

Hasbro's iconic toy called Mr Potato Head and Mrs Potato Head will be rebranded into a "gender-neutral Potato Head" toy line. As per the Associated Press, the re-branding will be seen in the packaging of the toys that will debut this year. There's a bit of confusion though because Hasbro confirmed that the individual Mr or Mrs Potato Head toys will not be renamed. Hasbro, in a statement to Fox News, said, "While we’re renaming the Mr. Potato Head brand to Potato Head to better reflect the full line, the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters aren’t going anywhere and will remain Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head." They later clarified that the “Mr.” and “Mrs.” names will be less prominently displayed at the bottom of the box.

In a tweet, the official Hasbro Twitter account wrote, "Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD." The senior vice president of global brands and general manager at Hasbro, Kimberly Boyd, revealed to Fast Company, "Culture has evolved. Kids want to be able to represent their own experiences. The way the brand currently exists—with the “Mr.” and “Mrs.”—is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure.”

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Who owns Hasbro?

Alan G Hassenfeld, who has 7.82 equity is listed as the owner of Hasbro. The company was founded as a Hassenfeld family in the year 1923 and Alan expanded the company's international operations after he took over the reins. He has also been inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1996. As per Vault's description, "Hasbro, is the #2 toy maker in the US (after Mattel) and the producer of such childhood favorites as G.I. Joe, Play-Doh, Mighty Mugs, Transformers, Chomp Squad, and My Little Pony.

Hasbro has a significant relationship with Disney, producing merchandise for the entertainment giant's megabrands including Star Wars, Marvel (including Spider-Man, Thor, and Captain America) and Frozen and other Dreamworks features. Besides toys, Hasbro makes board games such as Scrabble, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit, as well as trading cards including Magic: The Gathering (through its Wizards of the Coast unit) and Dungeons & Dragons. About 55% of the company's total revenue comes from US operations.

'THIS is what progress looks like'

Some were really happy with Hasbro's rebranding of the classic Mr. Potato Head brand. "I don’t really understand why Hasbro HAD to rename the Potato Head line, only because Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head were classic, iconic toys I grew up with in the 90s. I do however understand the need for progress and to make everything more...inclusive. So I won’t make a big fuss," wrote one user. Another added, "“Mr Potato Head” was a reactionary throwback to a time before we dismantled the gender binary. His very existence radicalised children into believing that only heterosexual and cisgender potatoes could have fulfilling lives. THIS is what progress looks like." Yet another one added, "MR POTATO HEAD DOESNT HAVE A GENDER ANYMORE? NOBODY TALK TO ME THIS IS WHAT PROGRESS LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE"

Others, on the other hand, were upset that the re-branding was happening while some more others didn't care much for the validation. "Calm down everyone. Mr Potato Head is not being discarded and turned into chips, or mash. You can still buy him. The brand is expanding to including other potato heads. Mrs Potato Head has obviously not told Mr Potato Head they are expecting a sackful of new potato heads," wrote one user. Another added, "Why did a potato ever have to have a gender? It could have always been just potato head and the kids could choose which features they preferred to play with and they wouldn’t be engaging in society-enforced gender role-playing before grade school!" Yet another added, "This is ridiculous- Mr. Potato Head can’t be Mr. anymore? I’m all for progress but some idiots listened to a small bunch of idiots."

One joked, "Sounds like Mr Potato Head has had his spuds cut off..." and another said "The Day Mr.Potato Head became just your average spud.."