I remember a time - many years ago, when 'Mr. Potato Head' required a real potato - a humane use for the humble spud which didn't involve boiling or frying! No longer is this the case however, and the modern day version of the old-skool action figure comes complete with a 'fake potato' body. If you've never heard of Mr. Potato Head before, he's basically a plastic potato featuring a number of small holes, into which you can add all manner of facial features, body parts and accessories - ears, eyes, noses, feet, hats, even stethoscopes and sheriff badges - you name it, Mr. Potato has probably had it pushed into his torso at some point!


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A Potato with a Back-story - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sold for the first time in 1952 by Hasbro, Mr. Potato Head found a resurgence of fame when he was featured in the animated film 'Toy Story', and then again in 'Toy Story 2' where he was voiced by Don Rickles. Since that time, the franchise has really taken off, and nowadays there are a range of Mr. Potato Head sets available. Today I'm reviewing the 'Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase', a forty-piece kit containing everything you need to get started and more.


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Packaged in a transparent plastic suitcase with a sturdy blue handle at the top, the kit is made by Playskool and costs just under £13 from toyshops - the amazon.co.uk price is actually a little more expensive, retailing at £15. I feel that this is especially good value for money considering the amount of pieces (40), and the high quality of the parts.


- - - - - - - - - - - - What Does the Silly Suitcase Contain? - - - - - - - - - - - -

The set includes; one Mr. Potato Head body, four pairs of ears, five pairs of eyes, two sets of teeth, four mouths, two tongues, four noses, three moustaches, one pair of glasses, two pairs of earrings, one flower, six arms, one baseball cap, one hard hat, one visor, one pair of feet, and two pairs of shoes.


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All of the parts listed above are bright and colourful, and made from sturdy plastic. There are a few smallish parts which younger children shouldn't be left alone with, and therefore the product has a recommended age of two and over. One particular downside of the set is the fact that it's almost impossible to get all the bits back into the case once you're finished playing with them, an you're left wondering how they fitted inside in the first place! The plastic potato body is around seventeen centimeters high, and ten centimeters across - it vaguely resembles a real potato, although it certainly wouldn't fool anyone! The accessories fit solidly into place, and once on, items like the arms and legs can be swiveled round to create different poses. The set is definitely fun to play with (I don't just mean for me, my nephew loves it too!), and you can lose a fair bit of time messing around with different facial combos.


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Overall, Mr Potato Head Silly Suitcase is an excellent kit which contains enough combinations of parts to create literally thousands of unique faces for our plastic friend. The price is especially reasonable, and I would highly recommend the set as a fun and well made toy.