ART, CRAFTS, AND POTATOES
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The Potato Eaters, finished in 1885, is considered by many critics to be Vincent Van Gogh’s first great work of art. The Van Gogh Gallery has a brief history and analysis of the painting. |
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From the WAH Center in Brooklyn, NY, the Potato Revolution is an exhibition of contemporary potato art, of which there is a surprising amount. |
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See Peter Pink’s installation displays of very cool potatoes in pink sunglasses. |
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TeacherVision’s Potato Print Wrapping Paper and Family Education’s Potato Prints have instructions for fun and simple potato art projects. |
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For a dot art tiny-potato-print project suitable for preschoolers, see Potato Art. |
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For step-by-step instructions and more projects involving potato stamps and prints, see Easy Crafts for Kids.
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MR. POTATO HEAD
Mr. Potato Head, who first went on the market in 1952, is still going strong – and in many permutations, among them Darth Tater, complete with helmet and light saber. Back in the day, Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on TV.
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Funny Face! by Mark Rich and Jeff Potocsnak (Krause Publications, 2002) is a fascinating and heavily illustrated short history of potato heads and related toys. For teenagers and adults, but the pictures are great for all ages. |
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Owners of the original Mr. Potato Head had to supply their own (real) potatoes. Read all about it here.
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Don Wulffson’s Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions (Henry Holt and Company, 2000) is a catchy history of such classic toys as slinkies, seesaws, silly putty, bicycles, checkers, kites, and Trivial Pursuit – and, of course, Mr. Potato Head. With black-and-white cartoon illustrations, for ages 9 and up. |
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Templates and instructions for making a felt Mr. Potato Head Quiet Book can be found here. |
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See templates and instructions here for a papercraft potato-head project. |
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For a breakfast version of Mr. Potato Head (with a pancake), see Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons. |
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Make a steampunk Mr. Potato Head. You’ll need, among other things, Sculpey clay, metal dohickeys, and copper-colored acrylic paint. |
HOW NOT TO SPELL POTATO
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Ouch. Dan Quayle’s fatal potatoe spelling mistake can be viewed in this YouTube clip. |
