Bizarre Fun Fact: Play-Doh's Dirty Secret ๐งผ
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Before Play-Doh became the iconic childhood toy sitting in every kindergarten classroom, it was a wallpaper cleaner designed to remove coal soot. In the 1930s, Noah McVicker created it for Kroger Grocery as homes heated with coal left grimy residue all over their wallpaper. The product worked perfectly - homeowners would roll the putty across their walls and watch it lift away the black coal dust. But then natural gas heating replaced coal furnaces in the 1950s, and suddenly nobody needed wallpaper cleaner anymore. The company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Then McVicker's sister-in-law, a nursery school teacher, had an idea. She started using the non-toxic putty in her classroom for art projects, and kids went absolutely crazy for it. McVicker quickly rebranded it as a children's toy, removed the detergent smell, added bright colors, and called it Play-Doh. The same product that was designed to clean dirty walls became one of the most successful toys in history - selling over 3 billion cans since 1956. So next time you smell that distinct Play-Doh scent, remember: you're basically playing with vintage wallpaper cleaner!
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posted by Myrna Sophia at 1:35โฏPM
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