He was tired of cleaning wallpaper with his vacuum cleaner
Joe McVicker invented Play-Doh because he was tired of cleaning off wallpaper with his vacuum cleaner. He and his brother-in-law, Noah McVicker, founded the Rainbow Crafts Company to produce and sell the clay.
The name came about because Joe couldn’t think of one for it when he presented the idea to his sister’s husband, so he suggested a made up word . It was an instant hit with kids, and by the early 1960’s, Play-Doh was being sold in stores across the country.
In 1965, Hasbro bought the Rainbow Crafts Company and began manufacturing Play-Doh on a larger scale.
They have since sold over two billion cans of the modeling clay.
Vintage Voices: What Did They Say?
Famous quote about Play-Doh is often attributed to comedian Steve Martin, who said..
“I owe everything I did in my career to Play-Doh.”
– Steve Martin
YouTube Rewind: Watch Now
The Truth About Why Play-Doh Was Created
FlashBack Facts: You May Not Have Known Before
Top 10 popular toys in the 1960’s:
1) Barbies
2) Hot Wheels
3) Etch A Sketch
4) G.I. Joe
5) Slinky
6) Lego
7) Lincoln Logs
8) Mr. Potato Head
9) Silly Putty
10) Yahtzee
