Play-Doh: A Kid Craft Classic

by Guy Belleranti

In 1956 a new child friendly clay-like modeling compound burst upon the scene. Softer than regular modeling clay, this “toy” was loved by children from the start. With a texture similar to bread dough the product was soon given the name Play-Doh.

Noah and Joseph McVicker hadn’t meant their invention to become a kid’s toy, but had instead planned to market it as a wallpaper cleaner. However, a number of things made the product ideal for children’s arts and crafts:
 
1) It was easy for small fingers and hands to manipulate.
2) It was non-toxic.
3) It cleaned up easily with soap and water.
4) It was reusable if kept in a sealed container.
5) After it was molded into a shape it could be left out in the air until it hardened.

So after a bit of nursery school and kindergarten class testing in 1955 the McVickers began manufacturing the product in their newly formed Rainbow Crafts Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At first, Play-Doh was demonstrated and sold only in the toy department of the Washington D.C. Woodward & Lothrop Department Store. There was only one color available – off-white – and this color was only sold in 1½ pound cardboard cans.

Soon, however, more stores began selling Play-Doh and its popularity grew.

In 1957 three new colors were added – red, yellow and blue. The product was also now being endorsed on the children’s television programs Captain Kangaroo and Ding Dong School, spurring its popularity even more.

While Play-Doh’s squeezable softness certainly made it attractive to kids, so did its salty taste and distinctive smell. What the exact ingredients are remains a trade secret. However it is known to contain wheat flour, salt and water, and it probably also contains a non-toxic petroleum distillate of some kind.

In 1958 a Play-Doh 4-pack set was unveiled at the American Toy Fair, with each set containing a pack of red, yellow, blue and white.

A couple of years later, in 1960, the first Play-Doh Pete logo image was created. In addition, both a “mini-can” set of the 4 colors and the Fun Factory playset were introduced. The Fun Factory allowed children to extrude Play-Doh into all sorts of shapes.

Play-Doh went international in 1964 when distribution spread to England, France and Italy.

Time and product development continued to shape Play-Doh’s place in the children’s toy industry. Here are a few of its more important historical moments:

1965 - General Mills purchases Rainbow Crafts Company.
1971 - Kenner Products merges with Rainbow Crafts.
1983 - Four new Play-Doh colors are introduced in the Rainbow 8-pack.
1986 - Play-Doh becomes packaged in easy to open and close plastic containers.
1987 - The Tonka Corporation purchases both Kenner and Rainbow Crafts.
1991 - Hasbro purchases Tonka.
1996 - Play-Doh celebrates its 40^th birthday with the introduction of two new colors – gold and silver.
2006 - Play-Doh celebrates its 50^th Birthday with limited edition spray bottles of the Play-Doh scent.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Play-Doh, but one thing seems assured: it is still loved and used by children just like in the beginning.

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