BLACKFOOT — The Idaho Potato Museum has expanded its collection of one of the most popular toys in American history thanks to a recent donation.

Tish Dahmen, executive director of the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, said the donation came from Illinois resident Gene Owen. He wanted to make this donation because he and his family were downsizing their home.

"He contacted me last year," Dahmen said. "He had this wonderful collection. He just wanted it to go somewhere where others could enjoy it."

Owen officially made his donation last week. There were six boxes total that contained a significant collection of the esteemed Mr. Potato Head, which has been produced by Hasbro since the 1950s.

Some of the Mr. Potato Heads in the collection include three Elvises, the marshmallow man from "Ghostbusters" and the four main characters from "The Wizard of Oz."

"We actually have the Wicked Witch of the West, so now we have a full collection," Dahmen said. "There are so many fun figures from "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones." There's some very iconic Mr. Potato Heads."

Dahmen said the new collection will not be exhibited until some time next year. The East Idaho museum doesn’t currently have any space for them, so curators will need to hire someone to build a space to put them.

"We're having a couple of cabinets made for this collection," Dahmen said.

The six donated boxes are so full that the museum doesn't yet know exactly how many Mr. Potato Head figures are in the collection. Staff are currently working on itemizing them.

"That's one of our top priorities," Dahmen said. "That's going to be done as soon as possible."

The museum is excited to add these new toys to its existing collection. It already has a few fun characters of its own, and staff can't wait for the public to see the new ones.

"Anyone can be a Mr. Potato Head," Dahmen said. "It's such a fun toy for kids and grownups alike. We're happy to have this collection."

Dahmen said one thing she looks forward to displaying this collection is sharing the history of Mr. Potato Head. The character has been around since 1952 and had his own cartoon TV show before his appearance in Disney’s "Toy Story" franchise.

"He is a cultural icon," Dahmen said. "He was the first toy to be advertised on TV. It's just very interesting to see his evolution."

Dahmen also looks forward to the reactions of the museum's visitors when they see the collection. The Mr. Potato Head collection is one museum exhibit that visitors enjoy the most, Dahmen said.

"They can remember playing with one or the other," she added.

Dahmen expressed gratitude to Owen for donating his collection to the museum. She looks forward to putting it on display for the community to enjoy.

"I know people will enjoy it for years to come," Dahmen said.