I’ve only ever known the smooth, fully plastic Mr. Potato Head toy, so it blows my mind a little bit to know that Hasbro originally produced what was quite literally just plastic body parts that you stuck on a real spud. Witness this ad from 1954:

I mean, look at that thing. People bash the Pet Rock, but this thing is about half a step above that. Maybe if the Pet Rock had good accessories and you could stick it on a plastic body we’d remember it more fondly.

Fun trivia: On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. Here’s a vintage example of an early ad.