Study Buddy (Explorer): Mr Potato Head – from cereal boxes to ‘Toy Story’ star

[2] The toy was composed of different-shaped noses, eyes, hats, moustaches, ears, and arms that could be plugged into an actual potato or carrot to create a silly plaything for kids. Lerner’s idea was to have big breakfast-food companies include Silly Face Man (its original name) in cereal boxes as a giveaway toy. Back then, no kid would consider choosing a cereal that did not have a small gift inside.

[3] Post Cereals bought it but decided not to proceed. Within a couple of months, Lerner and his new partner, Hasbro, bought back the design and devised a new plan and name: Mr Potato Head.

[4] This was at the peak of America’s post-war economic boom: many war veterans came home, married, and started a baby boom. By 1952, millions of preschool children were bopping around. These bundles of joy quickly became an interesting demographic for advertisers, especially those representing companies selling breakfast cereal, sweets and toys that kids could pester their parents to buy.

[5] Around the same time, television came into its own. In 1946, there were 20,000 television sets in the US; by 1948, that had grown to 350,000. Just four years later, the number exceeded 15 million. Less than one per cent of American homes had TVs in 1948, but 32 per cent did by 1952.

[6] Mr Potato Head launched, legions of kids were watching new TVs with new content directed specifically towards them. In fact, Mr Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television and the first marketed directly to kids.

[7] Parents eventually got sick of finding potatoes getting mouldy behind sofas and under beds. In 1964, Hasbro created a plastic potato for the plastic parts. The thing was designed long before any real awareness of child safety, so its sharp parts could give you a nasty cut and were just small enough that they could be swallowed – or worse.

[8] After too many kids choked or stabbed themselves with the pieces, the government introduced new child safety legislation in 1974. Hasbro increased the size of its parts and softened the sharp edges of the pins used to stick into the potato “head”.

[9] Over the years, Mr Potato Head has become ever more famous as one of the stars of the Toy Story animated films, and in 2000 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.

Source: South China Morning Post, November 28

1. What does the “exciting new material” in paragraph 1 refer to?

2. The different-shaped parts of the toy mentioned in paragraph 2 are meant to be ...
A. attached to a potato.
B. put into a cereal box.
C. eaten with a carrot.
D. collected as souvenirs.

3. Based on your understanding of paragraph 2, what was usually included with most cereals in the past?

4. Who are the “bundles of joy” mentioned in paragraph 4?

5. Find a word in paragraph 4 that refers to “annoying a person by asking them something many times”.

6. Paragraph 5 describes … in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
A. where television sets were made
B. how television sets were made
C. the increase in the number of television sets
D. the decrease in the number of television sets

7. Mr Potato Head was the first … to be advertised on television, according to paragraph 6.
A. vegetable
B. toy
C. person
D. none of the above

8. Decide whether the following statements about paragraphs 7 and 8 are True, False or the information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) The original toy was not safe for children.
(ii) The pieces inserted into the potato head were made from paper.
(iii) Hasbro changed the design of the toy after the government came up with new safety rules.
(iv) The redesigned toy had a much smaller potato “head”.

9. What is Mr Potato Head also well-known for, according to paragraph 9?

1. plastic
2. A
3. a small gift
4. preschool children / preschool children born during America’s post-war economic boom (any one)
5. pester
6. C
7. B
8. (i) T; (ii) F; (iii) T; (iv) NG
9. being a character in the Toy Story animated films