Play-Doh was Originally Wallpaper Cleaner
Daven Hiskey
The story of Play-Doh began when Kutol, a Cincinnati based soap company, was about to go under in the late s. Cleo McVicker, just 21 years old, was tasked with selling off the company&#;s remaining assets, which at the time comprised mainly of powdered hand soap. Once that was done, the company would be too. Cleo, however, managed to turn a nice profit in performing his task, the result of which was that the company managed to barely stay afloat. Cleo then hired his brother, Noah, and they set about trying to make the company viable again.
This brings us to when Cleo was at a meeting with Kroger grocery store representatives when they asked him if he made wallpaper cleaner. Wallpaper cleaner was a hot commodity as, at the time, coal was the leading way to heat one&#;s home, being much more efficient and cheaper than wood. This had the negative side effect of leaving a layer of soot everywhere that was difficult to clean off of wallpaper as you couldn&#;t get it wet. (This was before vinyl wallpaper.)
In a bold stroke, Cleo told them he could make the wallpaper cleaner for them (even though no-one at Kutol knew ho
Play-Doh is undoubtedly an enduring classic in the children’s toy world. So it may come as a surprise that it was not originally intended to be a toy.
In fact, it was a housekeeping product of sorts ― a wallpaper cleaner.
In the late s, a young man named Cleo McVicker was tasked with shutting down and selling off the remaining assets of a failing Cincinnati soap company called Kutol. In the process, however, he persuaded Kutol’s parent company in Chicago to let him revive the brand and hired his brother Noah McVicker to help him turn things around.
While heading the company in , Cleo met with representatives from the Kroger grocery chain who were reportedly looking for a wallpaper cleaner to sell in their stores. At the time, burning coal was a common way to heat homes, but it left soot that was hard to clean off the wallpaper. (When vinyl wallpaper became more popular in the midth century, you could simply clean it with soap and water, but this wasn’t the case for earlier wallpapers.)
Cleo McVicker negotiated a contract between Kroger and Kutol, and his brother got to work inventing a version of the dough-like substance we’ve come to know and love. All consumers
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Joseph McVicker Obituary
McVicker, Joseph
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Joseph Patrick McVicker, age 55, passed away May 17, His courage and faith never left him during his short battle with cancer. He was born on April 1, to Joseph and Marguerite McVicker in Warren, Ohio. Joseph served in the United States Army for four years during Operation Desert Storm. He loved his country and was very proud of his family. Joseph also loved music, cooking, and enjoying outdoor fires. He is survived by his loving wife, Pam; their three children, Katelyn, Luke, and Alaina; granddaughter, Leila; mother, Peg McVicker; sisters, Mary and Beth; brothers, Michael, Tim, and Brian; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph E. McVicker. A Funeral Mass will be held Friday, May 21, at am at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Hill Road N., Pickerington, Ohio Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, National Rd SW, Etna, OH In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Joseph's name to Wounded Warrior Project, Belfort Rd., Suite , Jacksonville, FL Arrangements by DWAYNE R. SPENCE FUNERAL HOME, Pickerington, Ohio.
Published by The Columbus Dis
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