Behind the Sour Cream

“What, did you take Stupid Pills this morning?”
- Mr. Potato Head, in “Toy Story” (1995)

Sir, you might want to check that prescription a little more carefully.

When Toy Story hit the big screen over 12 years ago, it changed the face of animated film forever. The capability of the genre was expanded farther than anyone could have imagined, and it put many an old-timer tracer out of work down in Buena Vista. Hell, they even decided the art form deserved its own Academy Award. The work of Pixar Studios has benefited children across the globe and John Ratzenberger alike. Heck, it even got crap like Titan AE made. Because of computer animation, Hollywood has changed.

And apparently, Hollywood has changed computer animation.

The toys that were cast in the original Toy Story were likely selected because of their timelessness, recognition, and comedic appeal. Yes, some original unknowns like Woody and Buzz Lightyear had to be pulled from unknown talent, but the Toy Casting Agency did a nice job to round out the ensemble. Rex, the neurotic dinosaur, came from an acting family whose ancestors did stunt work in the old-school Godzilla pictures. Slinky Dog had always been the consummate professional, a working actor who had slapstick training from the era of the Stooges. The Army Men often served as extras in the WWII epics of the fifties and sixties. Finally, Hamm the toy bank pig was so talented at his craft; he managed to continually find work despite being in a town run by Jews. Despite his kosher restrictions, even Stephen Spielberg admires that guy’s work.

And then there’s Mr. Potato Head.

Mr. Head, for short, had done some stage work on Broadway (ok, it was past Broadway in the Macy’s Day Parade), but ultimately was a green actor on the silver screen. It helped that his spouse, Mrs. Potato Head, also had her SAG card, as they were hired jointly due to their on-screen chemistry (if that’s what you want to call it.) His ability to channel a vast range of emotions via some facial re-arranging was also a plus that the casting directors saw. Once on set, he fell in beautifully to a role that appeared tailor-made for him. But then again, tailor-made was just a part of his Hollywood pedigree. His grandmother, Edith Head, was a force to be reckoned with in the costuming industry, and Pixar rewarded the family’s work by basing a character in The Incredibles on Potato’s grandma.

Oh, how fame can change a man.

Mr. Potato Head was well-liked by critics and children alike in Toy Story, giving Pixar an easy decision to write him into the sequel, Toy Story 2, which would release in the winter of 1999. His role expanded to action sequences, as he was an asset to the Al’s Toy Barn driving sequence. Life was great. He and Mrs. Potato Head then were offered a variety hour-type show on the WB, which would eventually go to Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. Afraid of the dreaded typecast, they turned down a talk show on the Food Network. Toy Story 3 has long been rumored to be in the works, but the potential split of Pixar and Disney’s working relationship put that on hold for the first few years of the 21st century. Even though Pixar is once again a part of the Magic Kingdom, a potential release date has been pushed back to 2010. Mr. Potato Head is in talks to join the cast, but again, that’s a while from now.

Then the offers stopped coming.

When that phone stops ringing, it’s hard for a struggling actor to keep his spirits up. You do some commercial work for a fast food chain to pay the bills, but that’s about all that’s on the agenda. That 4-bedroom house on the cliffs defaults in a hurry, and rather than reduce one’s self to a 1 bedroom apartment, you decide to pack all your belongings inside the trap door on your back and live with old acting buddies in similar situations. Mrs. Potato Head left Mr. Potato Head for one of the McDonald’s Fry Guys. And just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom –

You get busted in an Australian airport for ecstasy trafficking.