Anthropomorphizing the Spud: A tale of Mr. Potato Head

I found the notion from Deluze and Guattari with regards to causing one thing to be like the other to be very interesting.  The notion that a work horse is more like an Ox than a racehorse seemed to especially clarify this point.  However, the idea that one can become more like a horse when they wear blinders and put boots on their hands was very interesting to me.  And it seems then that the deduction came down to knowing what something can do.  I find some resistance in myself to these things. 

This is where our friend the spud comes in.  A lowly potato.  But, if you add eyes and other sensory organs which Uexkull so thoroughly describes you have a Mr. Potato head.  Not quite spud, not quite (or at all) human.  But, as a child I always rather assumed that creatures could see (and perceive) the same way that I do (did).  And I assumed that their sensors (fingers, eyes, and other organs) were at least equal or the same as my own.

If we put a spinning blade on top of Mr. Potato head would he be more lawnmower than anthropomorphized tuber?  It seems that Uexkull would think so.  This seems an interesting logic, and he does a tremendous job of backing it up throughout the body of his text citing numerous examples from magpie to cats.  But the question, when does the potato become Mr.?  When it can do something?  It seems to me that the best that Mr. P could hope for is to be a sort of entertainment.  Because, aside from a paper weight (and several more entertaining alternatives) his purpose is somewhat limited.  But, certainly we would not want to degrade a spud. 

Interestingly leading from this Mr. P seems to have a lot of differences between a real spud and his new plastic high-fangled body.  While the original Mr. Potato heads were just appendages (sensors?!?) that you could put on to a potato, the newer ones are plastic.  But, a real potato, while it does not necessarily have a function (aside from growing more potato’s and perhaps serving as food for humans or bacteria [or both!]) can certainly be manipulated to be served a number of different ways and even have several uses.  As I have come to understand linking potato’s together  can form an electrical charge?  But, Mr. Potato head alas has no such charge.

It seems like an over simplification to reduce things to a series of signals and responses.  Though, if you dig in, the series of signals and responses (the functional cycle) can become so detailed as to be overwhelming.  Interestingly, when Uexkull describes the series of actions taken by the tick (50)  he mentions that first there is “collision” then “butyric acid” and then, finally, “warmth” (50).  It seems unlikely to me (but, I’m not zoologist…or biophilosopher) to think that the sensation of butyric acid ceases to be in effect when the tick receives the signal of “warmth”.  But, I am not aware of the capabilities a tick has for receiving multiple stimuli.  However, this does lead me to considering how many stimuli our anthropomorphized friend, Mr. Potato Head can feel.  …zero?