Play-Doh® was originally developed by Kutol Corporation in the 1930s as a compound to clean coal dust from wallpaper. After World War II, demand for the product plummeted with the demise of coal furnaces and the invention of washable vinyl wallpaper.
Kay Zufall was a Cincinnati schoolteacher and the sister-in-law of Kutol executive Joe McVicker. In 1954, she saved the company from bankruptcy when she saw schoolchildren making Christmas ornaments out of the wallpaper cleaner, realized its potential as a colorful and pleasant-smelling alternative to modeling clay, and convinced McVicker to market it as a toy. She also came up with the name "Play-Doh®," in contrast to McVicker's ponderous proposal of "Kutol's Rainbow Modeling Compound." Zufall received no compensation for her contributions or acknowledgement in the resulting patent application.
Kay Zufall was a Cincinnati schoolteacher and the sister-in-law of Kutol executive Joe McVicker. In 1954, she saved the company from bankruptcy when she saw schoolchildren making Christmas ornaments out of the wallpaper cleaner, realized its potential as a colorful and pleasant-smelling alternative to modeling clay, and convinced McVicker to market it as a toy. She also came up with the name "Play-Doh®," in contrast to McVicker's ponderous proposal of "Kutol's Rainbow Modeling Compound." Zufall received no compensation for her contributions or acknowledgement in the resulting patent application.
Play-Doh®, now manufactured and sold by Hasbro, Inc., was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998. It is estimated that over 700 million pounds of it have been kneaded by the fingers of joyful children.
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