The 50 Year History of Play-Doh

tanagra writes "50 years ago U.S. Patent No. 3,167,440 was granted to Noah McVicker and Joseph McVicker for a "plastic modeling composition", (which was originally intended to be a wallpaper cleaner) now called Play-Doh. Little did they know that they had created the substance of childhood memories as well as many a childhood meal, unfortunately. Play-Doh persists as one of the most well known and popular children's "toys". As you attempt to clean your children's Play-Doh out of the carpet, the car, and the bathtub; take a look back with us at how it all got started."

shapes

[nodnarb1978]

I remember quickly getting bored with the default shapes thingee you made by mashing the dough through this big plastic doohickey.

I remember eschewing this tool in favor of jury-rigging my own shapes.

Twenty-five years later, I do the same thing with photoshop.

Progress?

Just remember...

[hobotron]

Put the GOD DAMN CAP BACK ON.

In one of my college physics labs we used Play Doh for fine tuning our experiments with small mass additions. COLLEGE level physics class and without fail every student cant put the cap back on, and we all know how that dries out.
So I guess what Im saying is some of us have forgotten basic 5 year old common curtesy, But Play Doh is awesome.

Class Dismissed.

Re:ingredients

[Immercenary_2000]

Shouldn't the original formula be in the patent somewhere? It's not like this is a bogus software patent we're talking about here. Especially when you consider that the stated purpose of patents is to give inventors a temporary monopoly in exchange for publishing how to make the invention (in the patent filing itself).

If not, then the whole system sounds like it (the patent system) was always a scam and society is no worse off by not granting patents since no new knowledge is gained.

Anyone else prefer Plasticine?

[localman]

I'm a USian, but my Dad grew up in the UK. He got me plasticine [wikipedia.org] insted of Play-doh growing up, and when I'd go to a friend's house and try to work with Play-doh, I just found it frustrating! Aside from drying out, you can't make sufficient detail because it's too crumbly.

Admittedly you can't dry plasticine at all, so if you want something permanent you're out of luck. But just for pure creativity, I got to give props to plasticine. And it's also cool because it led me into animation, and film.

Cheers.

It's not a coincidence

[Flying pig]

A number of nitro compounds have an almond like smell. It's a long time since I did organic chemistry but if I recall right, nitrotoluene has just such a smell. Someone better informed please confirm/deny.