Business suffered, but sales picked up once the fighting ended. 4. SILLY PUTTY PRODUCTION WAS HALTED DURING THE KOREAN WAR.Ī restriction on silicone during the Korean War meant that Hodgson had to stop making Silly Putty for a few years. Today, it would be worth close to $590 million. The strategy paid off when Hodgson died in 1976, his estate was worth $140 million.
#MUSEUM PUTTY TV#
Hodgson created a TV ad campaign for Silly Putty that’s today credited as one of the first commercials for kids. Thanks to the New Yorker, Hodgson received more than 250,000 orders in three days.īut Silly Putty really took off once the savvy marketing man identified a more lucrative customer base: children. Still, buyers at Neiman-Marcus and Doubleday bookstores picked it up, and before long, the novelty item had received a shout-out in the New Yorker’s “Talk of the Town” section. Silly Putty wasn’t a hit at the 1950 International Toy Fair. SILLY PUTTY WAS FIRST MARKETED TOWARD ADULTS. Spring was arriving, Hodgson needed a promotional hook, and what would sell a new toy better than a commercial holiday like Easter? 3. But it wasn’t just whimsy that drove Hodgson to package Silly Putty in plastic eggs-it was also timing. Hodgson decided to re-name the goo “Silly Putty” and sell it on his own. 2. SILLY PUTTY WAS PACKED IN PLASTIC EGGS BECAUSE IT WAS EASTER. However, a marketing consultant named Peter Hodgson was more than happy to take it off her hands. Eventually, she lost interest in the product. But the substance tended to melt, and it couldn’t hold a solid shape.Ī toy store owner named Ruth Fallgatter caught wind of the goo and decided to carry it in her New Haven, Conn. He noticed that the compound polymerized to form a resilient, flexible material that was almost like rubber. In 1943, the chemical engineer for General Electric added a bit of boric acid to silicon oil. James Wright-the man who's most commonly credited for Silly Putty's invention-came close. During World War II, the government asked chemists to search for a synthetic rubber substitute. Several individuals claim to have invented Silly Putty, but no matter who's claiming the title of inventor, the underlying story's the same: It was definitely created by accident. Here are 15 facts about Silly Putty that prove it’s a true product of American ingenuity-not just a petty plaything. However, the ooey-gooey substance isn’t just for kids. Silly Putty is one of the top-selling children’s toys of all time.
0 kommentar(er)
