PLAY-DOH

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. Their sister was a teacher and she took some to school and let her class play with it like modeling clay. They loved it. In 1956, the McVickers got it patented and it was marketed by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts of Cincinnati. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have been sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret. Hasbro is the current marketer.