Since its introduction in the 1950’s, Play-Doh has been loved by kids who creatively use it to make anything their young minds can imagine. The recipe for it is simple, water, flour, salt and a few other ingredients combine to make this popular modeling compound. But how did this mega-product get started? Well it all began with wallpaper cleaner from a company that was about to go under. A man tasked with saving the company from bankruptcy realized that it could be used as a kids toy when he saw them playing with it in a school. He reworked the product and relaunched it as Play Doh. In a few short years the non-toxic modeling compound had reached almost $3 million dollars in sales.
To add to the appeal of Play-Doh a new line of products was added to the line-up starting in 1960 with the Play-Doh Fun Factory which is used to make extruded shapes. The development and improvement of the product has continued over the decades with changes to the initial formula and products to add to the appeal of this universally popular product.
As simple as it is, Play-Doh has become a worldwide success. Overall, more than two billion cans of Play-Doh have been sold in 75 countries from the time of its inception to 2005 and was placed in the “Century of Toys List” as well as being inducted in the National Toy Hall of Fame in New York. Not too shabby for a product that started as a humble wallpaper cleaning clay from Cincinnati.