An innocent potato is lounging contentedly in the potato patch, his eyes peeping just above the ground dwarfed by the shadows of the colossal, secret atomic research center nestled somewhere in central Idaho. Boosting himself up to see better, he can see large trucks passing each other through the guarded gates and white suited creatures darting hither and dither in a hub of activities. The white suits look human yet alien at the same time. While absorbing all this activity with his exposed eyes, Peter Parker Potato suddenly winces with pain. Opening his eyes he just catches a glimpse of the potato spider scurrying towards the green glow of the research center, the spider that had bitten him on the head. That fateful bite is destined to change his life with consequences nobody could have ever foreseen. Thus Spider Spud was born.

“With eyes for trouble, this web slinger will use his starch-strength to mash out evil and save the day.”

Fittingly I first learned about Spider Spud’s birth on the worldwide web. There were a few emails (one thoughtfully included a link) and some comments on one of my previous reviews. Checking out the tips, I googled up some pictures and knew I had to have one for myself. By fortuitous coincidence, the local food store advertised this Potato Head variant for sale in its circular. Within days he was mine. At least one of many thousands was mine.


What It Is

The packaging of Spider Spud makes for an attention getting presentation. Spider Spud in his red Spidey suit peers at the customer through the box’s clear plastic shell. A red spider web is etched into one side panel, a top flap, and a front corner, making that area somewhat transparent. On the front also we read “Marvel Spider Man & Friends”, and “Includes Peter Parker parts”, (nice tongue twister) almost implying or suggesting that this package contains more than one toy. It made me look, only to verify that the box contained only one Potato Head indeed.

Wearing his shoes, Spider Spud stands a Shleppy seven inches tall. His form hugging spider suit fittingly has a silky feel to it. It can be worn full body, from the nose down like a strange pair of under shorts, on the top like a doo rag. Included in the set with the body, spider suit, and shoes are : one pair of spider shades, one pair of eyes, one spider web (white plastic), two arms (red), one nose, two ears, one pair of black framed glasses, and one set of teeth. The pieces fit together well and the suit increases the number of possible spud configurations. As with all full sized spuds, a storage compartment in the rear holds all of the extra parts for this friendly neighborhood Spider Spud.

Mercifully removing Spider Spud from his spider box is child’s play. It only involved peeling a piece of clear tape from a flap. There are no difficult ties, bolts, or screws to deal with.

Reaction

I bought this toy on the way to work so I took the opportunity to bring it in with me to show it off. It’s not unusual for me to bring a Potato Head or two with me to share with students and staff. Reactions to them vary. Spider Spud got more enthusiastic attention than any of his spud cousins, more looks, more wows, more questions, and more smiles. The younger kids all begged me to take him out of the box, but I refrained for Spidey’s own protection. No arch criminal can match the speedy destructiveness of a six-year-old. Those little ones can render new dry erase markers useless within seconds. I was surprised and pleased by all the interest generated by Spider Spud and even sneakily snuck in some instruction by some questioning after reading and examining the exterior of the box. I’d say Spider Spud was a big hit at the learning center.

Hasbro germinated the vegetable star in 1952 after acquiring the rights from designer George Lerner. The original toy was a set of 20 plastic body features that could stick in an actual potato. A year later the domestic Mrs. Potato Head arrived with her feather duster. In 1964 the popular spud was given a plastic body to the delight of joyful potatoes around the globe, saving them the indignity of stabbing and mutilation at the hands of zealous toddlers.

By the 1980’s the “modern” Potato Head had come into being, he with the large plastic potato body, and moveable, interchangeable pieces stored in a rear compartment.
In the 90’s with the Toy Story movies emerged yet another version of the vegetable man with a bowler hat and a fuller mustache.

The traditional, classic Mr. Potato Head is a six-inch oval piece of hard, tan plastic with holes for arms, feet, eyes, mouth, nose, ears and green hat. The hinged door on his rear is an asset giving access to a cavity for storing extra Potato Head body parts. A young child can exercise his/her imagination and hand eye coordination by adding the, flexible body parts in various configurations. In recent years new versions of Mr. Potato Head have been appearing with contemporary themes.

I think that the Spider Spud may hold a child’s interest longer than the traditional potato head. Add a few extra pieces and extend the play time and fun even further.

Check out the rkingfish write off, of which this review is an entry.

MANY THANKS to Suzanne for adding this product so quickly.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 10
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: Whole Family