2006 Marks the 50th Anniversary of Play-Doh and the Ant Farm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tim Walsh
PMB 180 5342 Clark Road
Sarasota, FL 34233-3227
(941) 926-8004
www.theplaymakers.com

Sarasota, Florida (April 21, 2006) – Two legendary playthings commemorate 50 years of fun in 2006 and to celebrate, author Tim Walsh (Timeless Toys, Andrews McMeel) is telling the stories of Kay Zufall, the woman who had the idea for Play-Doh and “Uncle” Milton Levine, the man behind the Ant Farm. 1956 was a vintage year for fun.

Kay Zufall ran a community nursery school in the early 1950s and one day read a magazine article on decorating for the holidays that mentioned making Christmas tree ornaments out of wallpaper cleaner, a dough-like substance that homeowners pressed on wallpapered walls to pull off coal soot. She brought the dough-like material into her nursery and the kids loved it. “She sold her brother-in-law on the idea of turning a cleaning compound into a modeling compound and the rest is toy history,” says Walsh. “When it came time to name the stuff, Kay handled that too, dubbing it, Play-Doh.” Over 3 billion cans of Play-Doh have been sold since its introduction.

Milton Levine was already a successful mail-order salesman of novelties such as a toy gun that shot potatoes and balloon animal kits when a 4th of July picnic changed his life. “He saw some ants and recalled how he used to dig up ants with a mason jar and watch them dig tunnels as a kid,” Walsh reports. “The light bulb went off and he set out to make an ant observation toy. I interviewed Milton for Timeless Toys and after 50 years and 40 million Ant Farms sold, he hasn’t lost a step or his sense of humor. When I asked him if there was anything about ants I should know for the book he said, ‘Scientists talk about how ants can lift over fifty times their own body weight, but I’ve discovered their most amazing feat yet…They put my kids through college.’”

In our country, if you create music which sells a million copies, you’re on the cover of Rolling Stone. If you write a book that sells that amount you’re on the New York Times best-seller list. But if you create a toy or plaything that sells 40 times a million or in the case of Play-Doh, 3,000 times a million, you’re relatively unknown. Milton Levine, Kay Zufall and countless other toy inventors have touched millions through their toy creations and I hope Timeless Toys helps to give them some long overdue recognition.

Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them is a celebration of classic toys and a tribute to the people who brought them to life. The book is a journey covering nearly 100 years worth of playthings and offering a delightful look back at many childhood favorites. Beyond the stories of Play-Doh and the Ant Farm, the book offers the compelling behind-the-scene origins of Clue, Frisbee, Lego, Nerf, Barbie, G.I. Joe, Matchbox and many more.