In late September, “The Adventures of Mr. Potatohead” arrived at The Children’s Museum. We didn’t make it over until this week, and maybe I should’ve waited longer. My son now thinks constantly about this exhibit. He asks to go back daily, and I know we’ll return this weekend. Why?

Well, because he loves Mr. Potatohead in an obsessive way. Yeah, I don’t understand that, either. But also because of the exhibit’s multiple hands-on opportunities, which I do understand. He bounced from activity to activity, each one better than the last.

Kids can pretend to go scuba diving beneath plexiglass, play inside a rocket ship with an “intergalactic translator” and motion-activated lights, drive a truck, decorate paper with embossed potato stamps, and dress up Mr. (or Ms.) Potatohead using a giant pile of hats, shoes, eyes, noses and lips.

But he spent most of his time with a friend, digging among dark plastic rocks and playing on the hand-cranked conveyor belt. Both kids had to be talked into leaving.

While young kids will enjoy the 2,500-square-foot exhibit most, early-elementary children will probably like the taterglyphs (embossing), alien translator, puns thicker than hashbrowns and other silly, campy aspects.

Did you love Mr. Potatohead as a child? Why DO we love him so? Contact Lora at littlekidsbigcity@nwsource.com.

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