Play-Doh

Advertisements promoting Play-Doh on influential children's television shows in 1957 furthered the product's sales. Since its launch on the toy market in the mid-1950s, Play-Doh has generated a considerable amount of ancillary merchandise such as the Fun Factory.

History

Origin

The non-toxic, non-staining, reusable modeling compound that came to be known as "Play-Doh" was a pliable, putty-like substance concocted by Noah McVicker of Cincinnati-based soap manufacturer Kutol Products. It was devised at the request of Kroger Grocery, which wanted a product that could clean coal residue from wallpaper from coal fired homes.

Following World War II, the demand for wallpaper cleaning putty shrank substantially. The increasing popularity of natural gas in heating applications and corresponding reduction of coal use resulted in a decrease of indoor soot build-up in homes and businesses. The introduction of washable vinyl-based wallpaper further rendered many such specialized cleaning products unnecessary. McVicker's nephew, Joe McVicker, joined Kutol with the remit to save the company from bankruptcy. Joe McVicker was the brother-in-law of nursery school teacher Kay Zufall, who had seen a newspaper article about making art projects with the wallpaper cleaning putty. Her students enjoyed it, and she persuaded Noah McVicker (who also sold the putty) and Joe McVicker to manufacture it as a child’s toy. Zufall and her husband came up with the name Play-Doh; Joe McVicker and his uncle Noah had wanted to call it Rainbow Modeling Compound.

Launch

Joe McVicker took Play-Doh to an educational convention for manufacturers of school supplies, and Woodward & Lothrop, a department store in Washington, DC began selling the compound. In 1956, the McVickers formed the Rainbow Crafts Company to make and sell Play-Doh. Also in 1956, a three-pack of 7-ounce cans was added to the product line, and, after in-store demonstrations, Macy's of New York and Marshall Field's of Chicago opened retail accounts. In 1957, chemist Dr. Tien Liu reduced Play-Doh's salt content (thus allowing models to dry without losing their color), and Play-Doh ads were telecast on Captain Kangaroo, Ding Dong School, and Romper Room. In 1958, Play-Doh's sales reached nearly $3 million. ($33.6 million as of November 2025)

Subsequent developments

In 1964, Play-Doh was exported to Britain, France, and Italy. By 1965, Rainbow Crafts received a patent for Play-Doh. Also in 1965, the food company General Mills bought Rainbow Crafts for $3 million. In 1967, General Mills bought Kenner Products. In 1971, Rainbow Crafts and Kenner merged, and, in 1987, the Tonka Corporation bought the two. In the 1980s, its cardboard can (with a rust-prone metal bottom) was replaced with a more cost effective plastic container. In 1991, Hasbro acquired Tonka and became the owner of Play-Doh, putting the compound under its Playskool brand, and continues to manufacture the product today. In 1996, gold and silver were added to Play-Doh's palette to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

More than two billion cans of Play-Doh were sold between 1955 and 2005, and, in 2005, Play-Doh was being sold in 75 countries at 95 million cans a year. In the United States, more than 6,000 stores carry Play-Doh.

Play-Doh was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York, in 1998.

In 2003, the Toy Industry Association placed Play-Doh into its "Century of Toys List", a roll call of the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the twentieth century.

In late 2014, the company offered to replace the "Play-Doh Cake Mountain" playset's extruder tool, for free, after receiving complaints about the tool's "phallic shape".

Scent

To mark Play-Doh's fiftieth anniversary, Demeter Fragrance Library created a limited-edition fragrance inspired by Play-Doh's distinctive odor for "highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood."

In 2018, Hasbro registered Play-Doh's signature scent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It's described as a "combination of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough."

Mascots

Play-Doh packaging was briefly illustrated with children in the mid-1950s, but replaced by the Play-Doh Pixie, an elf mascot which, in 1960, was superseded by Play-Doh Pete, a smock and beret-wearing cartoonish boy. By 1992, Play Doh Pete's beret was recolored in blue, and his eyes were given a more human look. Later in 2000, Play-Doh Pete's beret was replaced with a baseball cap. Play-Doh Pete later retired and was removed in 2003, lasting for 42 years. Since 2012, the Doh-Dohs are the mascots.