The Truth About Why Play-Doh Was Created

Play-Doh is many things. It's secretly delicious. It's doomed from the start to get mixed into a gross brown lump. It's inexplicably getting its own movie. But how and why was it even created in the first place?

The rainbow-hued children's modeling compound has been an intrinsic aspect of American youth for just about as far back as anyone can remember, but not everyone knows who invented it, or why. The strange goo that is Play-Doh may seem like an accidental invention that somebody lucked out with, and that's because it was. It turns out that Play-Doh wasn't the result of tireless hours spent trying to create the perfect product for kids. The truth is actually much more random.

Back in the 1930s, people were apparently looking for a reliable way to clean dirt and coal residue off of their wallpaper. Luckily for them, there was Kutol Non-Crumbly Type Wall Cleaner, the non-toxic substance people could count on to get their walls looking all slick and new again. However, as the years rolled by, newer and easier to clean wall coverings made out of vinyl were created, and Kutol's sales sadly took a nosedive.

But then, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of a New Jersey school teacher named Kay Zufall , Kutol found a second life as an easy to manipulate modeling clay for preschool students. As luck would have it, Zufall's brother-in-law Joseph McVicker was one of the guys in charge of manufacturing the wallpaper cleaner, and he was more than happy to squeeze some new life out of the stuff, according to NJ.com. Colors were added, the product was rebranded, and Play-Doh was born.

Since then, Play-Doh has become a staple of play rooms and kindergarten classes around the world. USA Today reports that Hasbro sells over 100 million tubs of the gunk annually, and that more than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have been created. That explains why there's even a National Play-Doh Day, celebrated every September 16th. Basically, the world can't get enough of Play-Doh.

And as with any runaway success that is distracting children and giving parents everywhere five minutes to themselves, Play-Doh may soon be taking to the red carpet, which will be impossible to clean afterwards. In 2015 it was reported that Hasbro was in talks with writer and director Paul Feig to create a Play-Doh movie, causing skeptics the world over to angrily mumble that they were wrong about The Lego Movie, while repeating the breathing exercises their therapists recommended. Things have been quiet on the Hollywood front since then, possibly due to Feig's all-female Ghostbusters reboot stumbling out of the gate, but you never know, a Play-Doh movie could still materialize. Maybe a feature length film about a multicolored wallpaper cleaning compound is just what the world needs in a post-superhero-fatigue environment.

And if you're not already overloaded enough with Play-Doh facts, it's worth mentioning that the "non-toxic" label on the sides of those bright yellow cylinders isn't necessarily something you want to test out. In tragic news for anyone feeling a little hungry, Play-Doh isn't what you'd call a super food. As reported by The Daily Meal,

"Unfortunately, the exact recipe for Play-Doh is a trade secret, but we know that it’s mostly made up of wheat flour, salt, and water thanks to the Play-Doh website. A 2004 patent also reveals that it contains what’s called a retrogradation inhibitor, mineral oil, [...] preservatives, a hardener, [...] fragrance, coloring, a petroleum additive for a smooth feel, and borax, which prevents mold."

While it won't make you any sicker than your most fast food dishes, eating the stuff won't do you any favors, either, apart from when it comes to bragging rights. As The Daily Meal noted,

"[P]roducer Hasbro maintains that the product is non-toxic, and that the only real danger in Play-Doh is to pets or those especially sensitive to sodium, from the high salt content."

What might surprise you, however, is the list of benefits that playing with the gloop reportedly has with regard to early childhood development. According to a study published by Michigan State University, children who spend time messing around with Play-Doh apparently develop better fine motor functions and creative capabilities, meaning the product is much more impressive than its squidgy appearance might suggest.

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