In the program "Historically yours" on Europe 1, the journalist David Castello-Lopes looks back on the origin of plasticine, a children's toy which was long used by their parents to clean the walls of houses soiled by coal .
Every day in Historically yours, journalist David Castello-Lopes looks back on the origins of an object or a concept. Monday, he is interested in the history of plasticine, a children's toy with surprising roots.
With the intermittent rain, the All Saints' Day holidays will surely be synonymous with indoor activities for your children.
Among the options to consider, the dough is often a great success.
Today very popular with children, its origin has nothing to do with entertainment.
Until the mid-1950s, coal heating was rife in many countries.
An efficient heating but catastrophic in terms of cleanliness since it often left large traces of soot on the walls of the houses.
To clean these black streaks, the American company Kutol then marketed a dedicated paste.
But with the rise of gas or electric heaters, coal heating has gradually become outdated.
On the verge of bankruptcy, the Kutol company was therefore forced to reinvent itself.
A recipe kept secret
Around this time, the niece of an executive in the company accidentally read an article in a newspaper about children using cleaning paste in their art classes to make tiny sculptures.
The idea caught on with the bosses, and only a few months later, in 1956, the first box of "Play Doh" plasticine was sold in the United States.
Even today, the recipe that gives it this very characteristic smell is kept as secret as that of Coca-Cola.
The only clues known so far: the famous dough contains flour, water, vanilla, components that prevent it from drying too quickly and others that prevent it from being infected with bacteria.