Potato Head Kids is a 1986 animated series which aired as part of the Animated Anthology My Little Pony 'n Friends, alongside Glo Friends and Moondreamers. It's based on the eponymous Potato Head Kids toyline, and more broadly, on the Mr. Potato Head franchise. It ran for 23 episodic segments.
It follows the titular kids, a diverse group of anthropomorphic potatoes who are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and the adventures they find themselves in. They range from going surfing, to visiting the zoo, to making candy; while occasionally having to fend off Grease's Gang, a potato-hating Gang of Bullies.
This series marked the first time Mr. Potato Head was adapted into film or television. He would later go on to star in the short-lived The Mr. Potato Head Show, and, most famously, prominently feature in the Toy Story animated film franchise.
Potato Head Kids provides examples of:
- Anthropomorphic Food: Of course. The entire Potato Head family are anthropomorphic potatoes.
- Cool Old Guy: Mr. Potato Head is portrayed as one, mentoring the kids.
- Cowboy: Spud, one of the kids, is modeled after one. He has the hat, boots, and accent at least.
- Dame with a Case: In "Sam Spud, Private Eye", Puff comes crying to Sam Spud, who has just turned detective, and tells him that two men have stolen her purse. There is a narrated voice-over where Sam describes the meeting in Genre Savvy fashion: "If I live to be 13, I'll never forget the day she walked into my office. Adorable. A sweet potato. The kid was in tears." At the end of the episode, after the case has been solved, Sam refers to Puff as "Sweetheart".
- Depraved Kids' Show Host: The episode "Small Potatoes" is framed around "Pee Wee" Small, a cantankerous, frustrated children's TV show host who hates his job and children even more. He is forced to give free tickets away to his show, and when the Potato Head Kids show him up on his own show, he fires them.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: Smarty Pants and Whiz Kid, who are the smartest potatoes, are also the only ones to wear glasses.
- Spin-Offspring: Although Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are around as supporting characters, the show mainly focuses on their children.
