From its mundane beginning as a wallpaper cleaner, the household compound now known as Play-Doh has come a long way.

The product was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998 and five years later was recognized as one of the 100 most memorable and creative toys of the 20th century.

Its patent lists its components as water, starch-based binder, retrogradation inhibitor, salt, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, color, petroleum additive and borax.

On National Play-Doh Day, celebrated every Sept. 16, individuals can make their own version of the modeling compound with fewer ingredients: water, salt, flour or corn starch, vegetable oil and cream of tartar.

The product originated in Cincinnati, Ohio, before the days of easy-to-clean vinyl wallpaper, when most homes were heated by soot-producing coal.

The cleaning compound was a staple in most homes and in some commercial buildings such as schools. In one Cincinnati classroom, the kids got hold of the stuff and reworked it into pieces of art.

In 1955, after inventor Joe McVicker heard of the new application, he removed the detergent, added an almond scent and pitched the new concoction to schools throughout Cincinnati, where the clunkily named “Kutol’s Rainbow Modeling Compound” received rave reviews.

McVicker’s sister-in-law gave the product a promotional boost by suggesting it be renamed Play-Doh.

Play-Doh was first marketed in one color — off-white. The next year, red, blue and yellow color was added.

After in-store demonstrations of the product, Macy’s and Marshall Field’s opened retail accounts. By 1958, yearly sales of the three-pack of 7-ounce cans reached $3 million.

Much of the product’s commercial success came from its once-a-week exposure on “The Captain Kangaroo Show.”

The newfound success of the product came just in time. Wallpaper cleaning compound steadily waned in utility, eventually becoming obsolete after World War II when coal heat was replaced by cleaner oil and gas furnaces and vinyl wallpaper, cleanable with only soapy water, was introduced.

The dizzying chronology of ownership of the Play-Doh brand is sprinkled with corporate mergers and acquisitions. In 1956 McVicker and some family members formed and staffed Rainbow Crafts. Nine years later, their company was purchased by General Mills.

In 1971 Kenner Products merged with Rainbow Crafts and in 1987 Tonka Corporation purchased the resultant company. Today Play-Doh is owned by Hasbro, which purchased Tonka in 1991.

 

Play-Doh Quiz

1. How many cans of Play-Doh have been sold worldwide?

a. 50 million

b. 500 million

c. 1 billion

d. 2 billion

2. Where does Play-Doh rank in the list of 100 top toys of the 20th century?

a. 3rd

b. 41st

c. 10th

d. 57th

3. What two Play-Doh colors were added to commemorate its 40th anniversary?

a. Silver and gold

b. Purple and pink

c. Fluorescent green and yellow

d. Rainbow glitter and white

4. What was the name of the product’s elf mascot?

a. Bernie

b. Play-Doh Pete

c. Flexible Freddie

d. Rainbow Randy

5. In 1957 what was reduced in Play-Doh’s formula to allow it to dry without losing color?

a. Starch

b. Lubricant

c. Salt

d. Fragrance

6. How many cans of Play-Doh are sold every year?

a. 17 milliion

b. 36 million

c. 81 million

d. 100 million

7. In what city was Play-Doh first sold in a department store?

a. New York City

b. Washington D.C.

c. Chicago

d. Boston

8. When the various colors of Play-Doh are thoroughly mixed, what color results?

a. Gray

b. Brown

c. Black

d. Dark purple

 

 

 

 

Answers:  1. d. 2. c. 3. a. 4. b. 5. c. 6. d. 7. b. 8. b.