Mr. Potato Head still hot at 50

Hasbro created Mr. Potato Head in 1952.

(CNN) -- Who would have thought a plastic tuber could become so famous?

The mustachioed marvel known as Mr. Potato Head is celebrating his 50th birthday Tuesday, and for his manufacturer, Hasbro, that's no small, uh, potatoes.

The company threw a birthday party at its New York showroom, attended by Hasbro Chairman and CEO Alan G. Hassenfeld and cartoonist Jim Davis, on Tuesday morning at the American International Toy Fair. Davis is co-creator of a Mr. Potato Head comic strip.

Mr. Potato Head also received his AARP card, as befitting a character entering his Yukon-golden years.

"He is a great role model for others hitting their boomer years, truly embodying the philosophy that 50 is fabulous and one is forever young," said AARP President-elect Jim Parkel.

No starched shirt

VIDEO Mr. Potato Head can join AARP now -- he's turned 50. CNN's Jeanne Moos has more (February 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   EXTRA INFORMATION Click here to see Mr. Potato Head through the years    ON THE WEB Mr. Potato Head: A timeline  Note: Page will open in a new browser window.

All this for a character that looks like nothing so much as a produce seller from the Old Country, and which has been the butt of jokes for silly children determined to make his face look like a Cubist sculpture.

Mr. Potato Head was invented by Hasbro in 1952. Originally he consisted of plastic parts, such as eyes and mouths, intended to be stuck by children into actual potatoes. But, as the first toy to be advertised on television, from the beginning he seemed destined for the public eye.

Soon Mr. Potato Head was joined by a Potato Head family. (According to Hasbro's Web site, he married Mrs. Potato Head in 1953, and the couple had a "crop of over a dozen small fries.") In 1960, he gained a plastic "body" to go along with his plastic sense organs and appendages. His smiling mug has appeared on puzzles, play sets, board games, and even a battery-operated hand-held machine.

Moreover, he's been anything but a starched shirt. Through the years, Mr. Potato Head has been the "spokespud" for the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout," a Don Rickles-voiced character in the "Toy Story" movies, a malevolent figure at the heart of a Nicholson Baker short story, and the star of Fox Children's "The Mr. Potato Head Show."

"Throughout his life, Mr. Potato Head has touched the lives of millions," says Hasbro's Hassenfeld. "He is so much more than a Hasbro classic, he's a cultural icon, and it is the people who have brought him into their homes -- and hearts -- that have helped him achieve that status."

Year-long promotions

As part of his 50th anniversary celebration, Hasbro is sponsoring a "50 Years of Smiles" promotion to benefit Operation Smile, a private, not-for-profit volunteer medical services organization that provides reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults in developing countries and the United States.

Moreover, the company is inviting people of all ages to submit a photo or drawing showing the person smiling and an image of Mr. Potato Head. At the end of the campaign, Hasbro will randomly select one entry and give the lucky winner a $25,000 grand prize.