APRIL 30th - The MacGyver of Vegetables



On this day in 1952, the 1st commercial for a toy aired on television. It was for Mr. Potato Head by HASBRO. At this point, Mr. Potato Head was actually just plastic parts that kids could plug into actual potatoes. Or other vegetables should they so choose. But let’s be honest here, most people were using potatoes. Because it’s just one more feather in the cap of the awesomeness that is the potato. The MacGyver of vegetables--I’m pretty sure MacGyver actually built a clock out of potatoes. So there’s that. Although, I do have to say, letting a potato rot to put some silly plastic parts into it is close to criminal. MacGyver wouldn’t let you get away with that. Turn that bad boy into a loaded baked potato. Or french fries. Or potato salad. Or tater tots. Or hashbrowns. Or freaking vodka. Or a battery if you’re freaking MacGyver. HASBRO switched to a plastic body in 1964, because apparently parents were complaining about rotten food. But come on. They were just pissed their kids were wasting the awesomeness of the potato as a doll. One can’t deny that Mr. Potato Head was a trailblazer though. The first toy TV star. Beamed into homes via television to allow kids to pester their parents into buying them some useless junk. Of course it wasn’t completely useless...if you were MacGyver.

This day has been Marked.

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