This is exactly it. There was no change to backlash. They announced they were renaming the brand, not the specific toy. They had to clarify because everyone misunderstood, got offended for the dumbest fucking reasons (potatoes don't have genders anyway, and the whole point of the toy is to mix and match parts), and the media ran with it.
I actually worked at Hasbro for a number of years, and they were probably the best employer I've ever had. So I get personal defending them. Hell, I can probably give you the exact name of who actually wrote those tweets.