The standard comedic reference for anything in Russia is either potato or tractor.
Russia being a quasi-advanced technological nation that is still basically agricultural.
I don’t think it is any more sophisticated than that.
There was also the Wendy’s commercial that showed a supposed Soviet fashion show.
It’s been our safeword for 20 years.
There’s this, which has been around a while
Every time I have heard ‘potato’ being used as a derisive response the meaning has been ‘What you just said was so incoherent/meaningless/fundamentally wrong that you could have just said “potato” and there would have been no difference.’
ooh that’s bad!
I remember that one from a joke book I had when I was a kid.
I don’t get it. I mean, I’ve seen potato-powered clocks; but I don’t get the joke.
I suspect the joke is “my non-sequitur response is still completely appropriate and relevant for your stupid statement.”
I read it as a pun of “get a potato clock” = “get up at eight o’clock.”
Perhaps.
DOH! I’m slow.