Once upon a time,Mr.Potato Head was almost nothing more than a forgotten cereal premium.But sometimes,there is just something that magically happens,and a product goes down into history being remembered as a classic.It would be George Lerner's turn to end up making that history!Around the World War II era,George Lerner was successful at being a well known inventor and designer.Just before 1950,he had a brain storm; he designed and produced a set of plastic face pieces,that were push- pin shaped noses,ears,eyes and mouth.The expression-like piecess could be pushed into any fruit or vegetable transforming food into a play toy.
Mr.Lerner's toy idea wasn't what could be called an immediate hit.People still had the war mentality and to waste something as important as food,especially for a child's toy,would be a "sin." Eventually,George sold the toy,for $5,000 dollars,to a well-known cereal company.The cereal company planned to use the plastic pieces as what is known as a "premium giveaway" in cereal boxes.Remember those days when cereal had cool toys and trinkets stuffed somewhere in the box and you would dig through the sugary goodness to get to the prize,before anyone else could get it?
George knew that his new toy idea was destined for greater fame.That destiny came knocking for George and his toy in the the form of a meeting with a family owned New England manufacturer.Mr Lerner and the manufacturer bought back the rights to the toy from the cereal company for $7,000.
And so was born,Mr.Potato Head,one of the world’s most adored "personalities," created offically in 1952,at the Pawtucket,Rhode Island toy company,by the name of Hasbro,Inc.The talented tuber began making history at an early age as the very first toy to be advertised on television.The original Mr.Potato Head contained only parts,such as eyes,ears,noses and mouths;...parents had to supply children with real potatoes for face-changing fun!