Each TOY or GAME has a STORY to share with kids.

Today, it’s PLAY-DOH’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)…

WHAT is PLAY-DOH:  Play-Doh is a non-toxic, re-usable modeling compound used by children of all ages. 

Play-Doh is one toy that Grandma Sharon remembers vividly from childhood.  I remember the 3-pack of yellow, red and blue… and the 4-pack of yellow, red, blue and white.  I also remember mixing the colors to make new colors… like greens and oh-so-weird purples!

WHO invented  PLAY-DOH, and WHEN & WHERE: If you’ve been following along with TOY STORIES on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids,  you know how awesome it is when a beloved toy is discovered by complete accident… like Silly Putty and the Slinky.

The world-famous,  50+ year-old Play-Doh fits into this wonderful category very nicely.

As the story goes, back in 1956 an inventor named Joe McVicker discovered that a product he had developed to clean wallpaper was actually a great modeling compound.  Joe’s product was very easy to manipulate by small children, unlike other clays and compounds of the time.

Shortly afterward, Joe’s company, Rainbow Crafts in Cincinnati, OH, began to market the one-and-only-color of off-white compound named Play-Doh through the toy department of Woodward & Lothrop Department Store in Washington, D.C.

From 1957 – 1960, Play-Doh gained international attention in both stores and schools.  And awesome new colors were developed.

HOW is Play-Doh made:  Play-Doh’s formula is a well-guarded secret, but ingredients include wheat flour, water, salt and a petroleum distillate.  The exact proportions of ingredients is what toy legends are made of.

Do you remember getting new containers of Play-Doh when you were a kid?  I do!  And I remember the excitement of buying Play-Doh for my 4 kids and now the same excitement with my 9 grandkids.

Play-Doh is that colorful (oh, the colors now!), squishy compound that builds everything a child can imagine… and then some.  It’s an amazing TOY STORY that Play-Doh began as a wallpaper cleaner.

Share both the TOY STORY and the Play-Doh itself with your kids and grandkids today.  Build.  Create.  Mix.  Make wild new colors.  Learn and laugh!  You’ll be surprised at how many “ta-dahs” you’ll create just by touching this childhood mix!

And join me here each day in July for TOY STORIES on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! A little fun, a little learning and a little “ta-dah!”