Colorforms: Stick-on Fun

By Cathy Rogers

Remember those nifty reusable vinyl sticker sets for little hands? The sets have been popular for several generations now for travel, stay-at-home sick play or rainy days. Invented in 1951 by two art students, Harry and Patricia Kislevitz, these activity sets have been around for nearly 55 years now.

Stories vary on why the pair first discovered that a flexible vinyl material stuck to the semi-gloss paint in their bathroom. Some sources say the couple sought a low-cost alternative to paint; other sources say they were seeking a creative use for the vinyl given to them by a friend who manufactured pocketbooks. No matter, the Kislevitz’ and their guests cut shapes from the vinyl and creatively decorated the walls.

The two must have had business acumen as well as artistic sense because the concept “stuck.” Over a billion sets of the creative sets had been sold by 1991. There is even a replica of the original spiral-bound book containing 350 brightly colored pieces. This special retro set contains the Colorforms history and highlights.

Designed for children ages 3 and older, the activity sets are a tool to teach shapes, colors, counting and sorting. At the same time, the stickers allow a child to use his or her imagination.

Some sets like Miss Weather, circa 1962, contained large pieces easy for little hands to maneuver. The Miss Weather set contained outfits for all type of weather: rain, sun, snow, etc.

A set called My Colorforms contains calendar basics: days, months, weather, holidays. Other traditional learning sets included ABC and 123. The line also expanded into games, play boards and puzzles.

One of the first brands to be promoted on television, Colorforms was also a pioneer of product licensing. In 1957, the company created the Popeye Cartoon Kit. The popularity with licensed products continued with Strawberry Shortcake, Gumby, and dozens of other characters.

Licensing continued with the Addams Family and Star Wars. The famous product even encompassed the music industry with KISS and a Beatles set that sold for over $500 in 2004.

The replica set sells for about $30, but you can buy the current popular character sets like Madagascar, Bob the Builder, and Dora the Explorer Colorforms for your grandkids for less than $10.

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