What was Play-Doh originally invented for?
Quick Answer
Play-Doh was first sold as a wallpaper cleaner. The soft, pliable putty was rolled over walls to lift off the soot left by coal and wood heating, and it only became a toy years later when that market collapsed.
The Full Story
Play-Doh began life in the 1930s as a cleaning product, not a toy. A company called Kutol in Cincinnati made a soft, doughy putty that people pressed against wallpaper to pick up the greasy black soot left behind by coal and wood stoves. As homes switched to cleaner gas and electric heating after the Second World War, washable vinyl wallpaper also arrived, and demand for the putty collapsed, nearly bankrupting the firm. The rescue came when it was noticed that schoolchildren were using the pliable cleaner to make craft models. The product was reworked, coloured and given a non-toxic recipe, and it was relaunched in 1956 as Play-Doh, a modelling compound for children. It became a classroom and playroom staple, and billions of tubs have been sold since.
Key Facts
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