Geroge Lerner, a succesful inventor and designer developed the first version of Mr. Potato Head. He first sold the toy to a cereal company for $5,000. Although George knew the toy deserved a bigger shot, so he met with Hasbro, and they bought back the rights from the cereal company for $7,000. In 1952 the Hassenfield brothers introduced the toy to their lineup. It was plastic eyes, ears, noses, legs, and shoes that could fit into potatos and other fruits. Hasbro kept the same name of the toy. At first the plastic toy body was not supplied, so parents had to supply real potatoes and other fruits to let their children create their own fruit figures. In the 1960s Hasbro marketed this product with plastic potatoes, plastic carrots, green peppers, and french fries. Mr.Potato Head lost its appeal by the 1970s. Although a revitaliation of the toy occured in 1995 with the Pixar movie Toy Story.
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