"Together we shall rule as father and spud!"

The upcoming movie, Toy Story 3, reminded me of a toy that I have owned for a few years now, Darth Tater. Darth Tater is a novelty Mr Potato Head, one of the amusing cast of characters in the Toy Story franchise. Mr Potato Head has been around since the early 1950s, and was originally designed as plastic parts to attach to a real potato. According to Wikipedia, a plastic body has been part of the Mr Potato Head kit since 1964.

Darth Tater was one the first novelty Star Wars Mr Potato Head's to be released a few years ago, to coincide with the final stars movie, Revenge of the Sith. Of course, the Mr Potato Head toys are fantastic younger children's toys, but this incarnation takes pride of place in our living room, as I'm sure it does for other geeks like me.

Darth Tater, in my opinion, makes an excellent toy for children and big kids alike. The format is quite simple yet effective - Darth Tater consists of a robust plastic potato body with 11 other mix and match attachable parts:

- 1 helmet
- 1 face plate
- 1 nose
- 1 set of teeth
- 1 tongue
- 1 cape
- 2 ears
- 1 pair of eyes
- 1 pair of shoes
- 1 arm with red lightsaber
- 1 arm

The key parts, the helmet, face plate, arm with red lightsaber and shoes are sith-like dark black colour, which creates a menacing looking Mr Pototo Head. However, if you think Darth Tater has renounced his Sith ways, you can chop and change his appearance - the mask can be lifted once and for all, and you can give this ex Dark lord a smiley face or even a stuck out tongue! The parts are easy to take off and put on - simply fix a piece to a spare hole.

Darth Tater is recommended for children aged 2 years+. The parts are quite large which reduces the chances of being a choking hazard, and they are quite sturdy and easy to fix on to the plastic potato body. There are also plenty of permutations to give a menacing or daft looking appearance.

In terms of price, I purchased Darth Tater for approximately £10 which after a quick google search, seems to still be the standard price. In conclusion, Darth Tater, is great fun for children and big kids - join the dark side and buy one!

© CJG, 2010