Twist of Fate Radio | By Angela Clark
TwistOfFateRadio.com
They say invention is the mother of necessity—but sometimes, invention is the result of pure desperation.
In the years following the Great Depression, families across America were tightening their budgets. Money was scarce, homes were modest, and coal was still king. As coal stoves heated households, they left behind a sticky black soot that stained walls and furniture. To combat this mess, homemakers turned to a special clay-based cleaner that could be dabbed onto wallpaper to lift away grime without damaging delicate surfaces.
The cleaner, sold by a Cincinnati-based soap company called Kutol Products, became a staple in many homes. It was soft, malleable, and effective. The company’s founder, Cleo McVicker, had bet the farm on this product. At one point, Kutol was on the brink of bankruptcy, but the wallpaper cleaner kept it afloat.
But by the 1950s, things had changed.
Coal was falling out of favor. Cleaner heating solutions, like oil and gas, were becoming more common. And with them came cleaner homes—and less need for the wallpaper cleaning compound that had once been a bestseller. Sales began to plummet. The once-lifeline product had become dead weight.
Kutol was in trouble again.
That’s when a woman named Kay Zufall unknowingly changed everything.
Kay was a teacher and nursery school owner. She had read about the wallpaper cleaner’s texture and safety—non-toxic, pliable, and easy to mold—and decided to try it out as an arts and crafts tool for her students. The kids loved it. It rolled easily, shaped like clay, and didn’t dry out quickly like traditional modeling materials.
When her brother-in-law, Joe McVicker (Cleo’s nephew), came to visit and saw the kids joyfully playing with the stuff, a lightbulb went off. The product didn’t need to be scrapped—it needed to be reimagined.
Joe brought the idea back to Kutol. They removed the detergent ingredient, added color and scent, and tested it with local kids and schools. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. But what to call it?
According to multiple accounts—including Kay’s own recollection—she and her husband Bob came up with the name “Play-Doh.” It was catchy, fun, and exactly the kind of branding this reinvention needed.
In 1956, Joe McVicker founded the Rainbow Crafts Company to market the new product. It began appearing in department stores like Macy’s and Marshall Field’s. Play-Doh’s big break came when it was featured on the popular children’s TV show Captain Kangaroo, after the show's producers were gifted free samples.
Within a few years, Play-Doh became a nationwide sensation. The company sold tens of millions of cans. By the 1960s, it had gone international. Kutol’s near-bankruptcy was replaced by booming success, and a once-forgotten wallpaper cleaner became a childhood essential.
Today, Play-Doh is sold in over 80 countries and comes in hundreds of colors and variations. More than 3 billion cans have been sold, and it’s even been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
But none of it would have happened without that twist of fate.
A dying product. A teacher’s curiosity. A forgotten compound reborn through a creative lens.
This story isn’t just about toys or business—it’s about reinvention. It’s about not giving up when something seems outdated or irrelevant. Sometimes, the solution isn’t to discard—but to look again, differently.
Because you never know what joy might be hiding in what looks like a mess.
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Want to hear this story brought to life? Listen to the full podcast episode “The Mess That Made Millions” at TwistOfFateRadio.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
And remember—sometimes, the most ordinary things can be reshaped into something extraordinary.