Painting Easter Eggs Too Expensive? Some Parents Are Opting for Easter Potatoes

What began as a meme has been willed into reality. This Easter, some families are ditching expensive eggs used for decorating and opting to paint Easter potatoes instead.

At least, that’s what the potato industry is hoping for.

According to Axios, the act of dyeing or decorating potatoes—which are comparatively less expensive than the inflation-hammered egg—is gaining momentum this season. The idea seemed to have originated as a series of memes in which, due to high egg prices, “children will have to hunt potatoes this Easter.”

Not one to let an opportunity slide, potato advocacy group Potatoes USA began promoting the idea in earnest. Declaring 2023 “the year of the Easter potato,” the group has declared spuds “an excellent canvas for family activities.”

“As a mom of two kids, I’m constantly looking for new activities,” Marisa Stein, director of marketing at Potatoes USA, said in a press release. “The idea of painting potatoes made me laugh, but honestly, it’s really fun. My kids loved experimenting with different designs. It was silly and a great way to spend time with my family.”

Potatoes do have some advantages over eggs. They don’t need to be boiled or otherwise prepared in advance, and any left over from an Easter egg hunt are biodegradable. As with eggs, they can also be consumed if food-safe paint or dye is used for decorating.

The downside: Painting a potato’s rough, uneven surface is a challenge, and most Easter potatoes are likely going to look more abstract or expressionist than children may like.