Play-Doh goes gold!

No, this is not a post about a Play-Doh video game ready to be released. I'm talking about Play-Doh´s Golden Jubilee! 50 years ago, this re-usable colorful clay that stands as one of the most popular toys in the market was created.


(image taken from parentingtoys.com)

Here are some characteristics that, I believe, make this product so interesting and long-lasting:

Free-form creativity
Few toys give children the chance to express themselves so freely.

Replayability
You take it out of the can, you play, you build, you destroy, you put it back in the can. You just can´t do it with traditional clay.

Modularity
Not only because you can detach parts of it and bond them back together afterwards, but also because you can mix colors and buy all kind paraphernalia to play with it (Play-Doh Hairdressing, Play-doh Operation, etc).

I forgot other characteristics I had in mind before, so if you think of some, feel free to send us.

By the way, if there is a game that seems to carry further some of the Play-Doh´s defining qualities and take it to the next level, it´s called Spore (and I am talking more specifically about its life-form editor).

(via slashdot)