He is a plastic spud with a mustache and a bowler hat. He’s cranky. He’s cynical. Honestly, in the first two films, Mr. Potato Head was basically the resident buzzkill of Andy’s room. But then 2010 happened. When Pixar dropped Toy Story 3, they didn't just give us a prison break movie; they gave us the most inventive, weirdly physical performance from a toy we’ve ever seen. The Mr Potato Head Toy Story 3 arc isn't just about his biting sarcasm anymore—it’s about a plastic toy pushing the absolute limits of his own anatomy to save his friends.
Think back to the Sunnyside Daycare scenes. While Buzz is getting brainwashed and Woody is playing house with Bonnie, the rest of the gang is stuck in the "Caterpillar Room." It’s a nightmare. It’s sticky. It’s chaos. And in the middle of it all, we get a sequence that feels like something out of a Cronenberg film, yet it's played for laughs.
The Tortilla Scene: A Masterclass in Visual Comedy
Most people remember the big trash compactor finale. Obviously. It’s traumatizing. But the real genius of Mr Potato Head Toy Story 3 is the escape attempt where he has to ditch his iconic plastic shell.
When he’s locked in "The Box" (the daycare’s version of solitary confinement), he manages to slip his parts through the air holes. It's a bit gross if you think about it too hard—disembodied hands and eyes crawling around on their own. But then he finds a tortilla. Seeing a pair of eyes and a mustache stuck onto a flat, floppy piece of flour bread is peak Pixar. It shouldn't work. It should be too "out there." Yet, the physics of it—the way the tortilla folds and flops while he tries to run—is a testament to the animators' obsession with material reality. They didn't just animate a character; they animated the struggle of a character who had lost his structural integrity.
Why the Voice of Don Rickles Still Hits Different
We have to talk about the late, great Don Rickles. By the time Toy Story 3 went into production, Rickles was a legend of insult comedy. His delivery as Mr. Potato Head is what keeps the character grounded even when he's literally a piece of flatbread.
There’s a specific grit in his voice. When he’s complaining about the "toddlers with sticky fingers," you feel it. It’s not just a script; it’s a vibe. Rickles supposedly didn't love the recording process—he often joked about how much work it was—but his chemistry with Estelle Harris (Mrs. Potato Head) is what provides the emotional anchor for the B-plot. They are an old married couple, bickering through the apocalypse. It adds a layer of "real world" fatigue to a movie about talking toys.
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The Evolution of the Potato: From Grump to Hero
In the original 1995 film, Potato Head was almost an antagonist. He was the first to turn on Woody. He was the one sowing seeds of doubt.
By the time we get to Mr Potato Head Toy Story 3, he’s the veteran. He’s seen it all. The stakes in the third film are existential—Andy is going to college, and the toys are facing "the attic" or "the curb." This fear drives his protective nature toward his "eyes." Remember the running gag where he loses an eye and it stays behind to "spy" on the daycare? That’s not just a joke; it’s a clever use of his established mechanics to drive the plot forward. It’s one of the few times a toy’s specific "toy-ness" is used as a tactical advantage in a heist scenario.
Many fans forget that the Potato Head toys were actually the first licensed toys Pixar used. Before Barbie or Ken or even Slinky Dog, there was the Potato. Because Hasbro was on board early, Pixar had decades to figure out exactly how to deconstruct him. In the third film, they finally mastered it.
- The "Cucumber" moment: Another body-swap that proves he can inhabit almost anything.
- The "Angry Eyes": A callback to his very first scene in the original movie.
- The loyalty: He stops being the guy who complains and becomes the guy who executes the plan.
Technical Feats of the "Body Swap" Animation
If you look at the behind-the-scenes data from the 2010 production, the rigging for Mr. Potato Head was significantly more complex than Woody or Jessie. Why? Because he’s modular.
Most characters have a fixed skeleton. You move the arm, the shoulder follows. For Mr Potato Head Toy Story 3, the animators had to treat every single part as an independent character that could also function as a collective unit. When he’s "Tortilla Potato," the rigging had to simulate the soft-body physics of dough while still conveying the personality of a sarcastic New Yorker. That is an incredibly difficult balance to strike. If the tortilla was too stiff, it wouldn't be funny. If it was too limp, it would look like a glitch.
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Dealing with the "Hasbro" Factor
There are always rumors about how much control toy companies have over these movies. While it’s true that companies like Mattel and Hasbro want their products shown in a good light, Pixar earned enough trust by the third film to really play with the brand. They allowed Mr. Potato Head to be humiliated, taken apart, and turned into a snack for a pigeon. That’s bold. It shows a level of creative freedom that you rarely see in big-budget "toy" movies today. It’s why Toy Story 3 feels like a film first and a commercial second.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a misconception that Mr. Potato Head’s journey ends when they get to Bonnie’s. People think he’s just "reset" to being a plaything. But if you watch his interactions with the other toys during the credits, there’s a new sense of peace.
He’s no longer the guy looking for a reason to jump ship. He’s survived the incinerator. He’s been a tortilla. He’s been a cucumber. He has literally been stripped down to his base components and rebuilt. That kind of shared trauma with the rest of Andy’s toys cements his place in the family. He’s not the "outsider" anymore. He’s the grumpy grandpa of the group who will still take a bullet (or a sticky hand) for his friends.
Actionable Takeaways for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to revisit the magic of this character or share it with a new generation, keep these specific things in mind.
First, if you're hunting for the "film-accurate" toy, you want the Toy Story Signature Collection. It was released around the time of the third movie and is the only version that truly captures the scale and the "separate parts" feel of the on-screen character. Most retail versions have the parts permanently attached or use a different peg system that doesn't feel "right."
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Second, pay attention to the background details in the Sunnyside scenes during your next rewatch. There are several moments where Potato Head’s "spare parts" are visible in the background, hinting at his escape plan long before it actually happens. It’s a great example of visual foreshadowing that most viewers miss on the first pass.
Finally, appreciate the sound design. When Potato Head moves, he doesn't just make a "plastic" sound. There’s a specific hollow clatter that the foley artists perfected for Toy Story 3. It’s the sound of a very specific era of 1950s/60s toy manufacturing, and it’s a huge part of why the character feels so "real" in a digital world.
The legacy of Mr. Potato Head in this franchise is one of adaptation. He reminds us that even when we feel like we’re falling apart—literally—we can still pull ourselves together, even if we have to use a tortilla to do it.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Check the serial numbers: If you own a vintage Mr. Potato Head, ensure it’s the post-1960s version with the plastic body. The original 1952 version actually required you to use a real potato, which... well, you can imagine the smell.
- Watch the "Studio Stories" shorts: Pixar released several "Studio Stories" that detail the technical nightmares of animating Potato Head's many parts. They are essential viewing for animation buffs.
- Compare the "Tortilla" Rig: Look up the technical papers from SIGGRAPH 2010 regarding "deformable characters." You’ll find fascinating insights into how the "Tortilla Potato" was actually coded.