I really don’t need still more evidence that I’m an old fart, but somehow it just keeps piling up.
The other day, my wife Liz was telling me about a co-worker who, amazingly enough, collects Mr. Potato Heads.
“Wow,” I said. “That must be kind of tricky. I mean, the potatoes will rot after a while. That must make it hard to maintain the collection.”
At this point, Liz gave me the same indulgent, tolerating-a-small-child look she would use if I suggested that Sarah Palin would make one hell of a fine president.
“Paul,” she said, her voice oozing pity, “Mr. Potato Head has had a plastic body for years. Kids don’t use real potatoes anymore.”
“Well, I did.”
“That,” she said, “was a very long time ago.”
The Wikipedia entry on Mr. Potato Head (is there any topic for which there is no Wikipedia entry?) says Mr. Potato Head was introduced in 1952 with hands, feet, ears, two mouths, two pairs of eyes, four noses, three hats, eyeglasses, a pipe, and eight felt pieces resembling facial hair. “The original Mr Potato Head kit did not come with a potato ‘body,’ so parents had to provide their own potato into which children could stick the various pieces,” the entry says. A plastic body was introduced in 1964.
I think I knew, in the back of my mind, that Mr. Potato Head has had a plastic body for quite a while. Maybe I simply chose to forget this 47-year-old mistake by recalling instead the original Mr. Potato Head (complete with mom-issued potato) that I played with back in the 1950s. Of course, it's also possible that I had no idea Mr. Potato Head is a potato head in name only these days. Which would make me the ultimate potato head.
The other day, my wife Liz was telling me about a co-worker who, amazingly enough, collects Mr. Potato Heads.
“Wow,” I said. “That must be kind of tricky. I mean, the potatoes will rot after a while. That must make it hard to maintain the collection.”
At this point, Liz gave me the same indulgent, tolerating-a-small-child look she would use if I suggested that Sarah Palin would make one hell of a fine president.
“Paul,” she said, her voice oozing pity, “Mr. Potato Head has had a plastic body for years. Kids don’t use real potatoes anymore.”
“Well, I did.”
“That,” she said, “was a very long time ago.”
The Wikipedia entry on Mr. Potato Head (is there any topic for which there is no Wikipedia entry?) says Mr. Potato Head was introduced in 1952 with hands, feet, ears, two mouths, two pairs of eyes, four noses, three hats, eyeglasses, a pipe, and eight felt pieces resembling facial hair. “The original Mr Potato Head kit did not come with a potato ‘body,’ so parents had to provide their own potato into which children could stick the various pieces,” the entry says. A plastic body was introduced in 1964.
I think I knew, in the back of my mind, that Mr. Potato Head has had a plastic body for quite a while. Maybe I simply chose to forget this 47-year-old mistake by recalling instead the original Mr. Potato Head (complete with mom-issued potato) that I played with back in the 1950s. Of course, it's also possible that I had no idea Mr. Potato Head is a potato head in name only these days. Which would make me the ultimate potato head.
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