Playdoh and a great inventors reply

[PCofmisfittoys]

I have collected autographs for 20 years now and the best one I recieve in the mail or in person are the ones where the people actually enjoy signing or enjoy that you said thank you.
I got a great response back today from Robert and Kay Zufall. They where the couple that suggested the idea and she actually named it playdoh. He is a doctor and they live in New Jersey where they run a underprivileged clinic. That alone makes them very special.
Here's what they wrote back:

" Dear Lee , Of all the millions of people who have enjoyed playdoh, you are the only one who thought to look us up and to thank us. we will cherish your letter always. "

It takes me months sometimes to track people down because I enjoy the odd ones or the behind the scene folks. I have missed many of the inventors of our childhood toys but I am always on the lookout for others.
I'm going to send a couple of my vintage Playdoh packages for them to sign next and i'll share the images.

[Marvelmania]

I don't know how true this is but a show called My Generation on the History Channel was visiting a Toy Museum in New York and said that Playdoh (under a differnt name)was oringally invented to clean wallpaper when the soot from kerosene lamps would dirty the walls. After most people had switched to electric lamps the company had to find a new use for it and decided to make it into a toy.

[theantiquetiger]

Actually both of these are correct. It was invent to clean wallpaper, and Kay Zufall started using it in her Sunday School class instead of modeling clay. Some one else took the idea and got the patent on it.

[toys2cool]

That's awesome man,great story and they do sound like really nice folks :grin: