The iconic toy Mr and Mrs Potato Head, from Hasbro, is going gender-neutral and will be called ‘Potato Head’ starting later this year, the company announced on Thursday.

Hasbro said it was dropping the honorifics from the spud’s name “to promote gender equality and inclusion,” AFP reported.

“Hasbro today announced the iconic brand will be reimagined for the modern consumer,” read a statement on the manufacturer’s website.

The re-branded toy, launched almost 70 years ago, in which children add facial characteristics and clothes to the body of a plastic spud will hit shelves in the fall.

It will allow kids “to imagine and create their own Potato Head family,” said Hasbro.

“The way the brand currently exists — with the “Mr.” and “Mrs.” — is limiting when it comes to both gender identity and family structure,” Hasbro general manager Kimberly Boyd told business magazine Fast Company.

“Culture has evolved,” she added.

Mr Potato Head first went on sale in 1952. On the back of its success, Mrs Potato Head, along with traditional feminized accessories, was launched the following year.

The move follows other updates to classic brands, including Barbie, who was initially known for being tall, white and blonde but now comes in a range of ethnicities and body shapes.

In 2019, global toy giant Mattel released a line of gender-neutral dolls.