Before the lights went up on Elvis Presley’s famous 1968 comeback special, things were looking pretty grim for the King. Despite his previous dominance of pop charts and movie screens around the world, Presley spent the better part of the 60s becoming less and less relevant.
First, British Invasion bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones muscled him out of the charts and radio, and the burgeoning hippie culture of drugs and free sex made his once scandalous hip-swinging provocations seem positively quaint by comparison. But Elvis didn’t become the King by sitting back and letting pop culture pass him by. So, in 1968 (at the ripe old age of 34) he mounted one of the most famous comebacks in musical history. The show was a hit, and his choice of wardrobe, a black leather suit, rocketed the King back to the epicenter of cool. If only there were a way to commemorate that historic occasion.
Now there is. The good folks at PPW Toys have created an Elvis 1968 Comeback Special Mr. Potato Head to celebrate one of the greatest events in rock and roll history. Their Elvis Mr. Potato Head has the classic black suit, the slicked-back hair and all the cocksure swagger that made the King so great. At $19.99, it’s a perfect way to remember that before he ended his days as a shadow of his former self wheezing and sweating through uninspired Vegas revues (also captured in Mr. Potato Head form), there was a time when Elvis Presley was the King of Rock and Roll. If only he had have dressed up his potatoes instead of turning them into french fries, he may have lived to see himself immortalized in Mr. Potato Head form.
Like the King himself, Mr. Potato Head can be all things to all people. Check out these Geeky Mr. Potato Head Designs.
