Case PlayDoh1

Joseph McVicker invented Play-Doh when he saw his sister using a wall paper cleaner that had a “doughy” consistency and could be molded by hand into different shapes.

I first met Joseph in the early 90s, when I was launching DoodleTop. I had no manufacturing experience and was questioning my sanity in trying to launch a product with no money… in a business I had no experience in. Joseph assured me he had been in the same position and not to worry. He would evaluate DoodleTop and get back to me. He got back to me right away, and told me he felt DoodleTop was like Play-Doh in that “no childhood was complete without Play-Doh and a DoodleTop.” He offered to work with me for free for 30 days and at the end of 30 days, I could hire him if I wanted.

Joseph was an amazing person. He was well educated and a deep thinker… always analyzing the meaning of life. He was 28 just before Play-Doh and had no direction in life. He was a good golfer, but had no burning desire to do anything. He also had Hodgkin’s Disease which meant he could die young, even within six months. When he launched Play-Doh at a teachers’ conference, he had no idea what he was doing and when a buyer ordered a “gross,” he had to run around to find someone who told him it was 144 pieces. The rest is history. He perfected the product and sold over 30 million cans of Play -Doh worldwide. He sold the company in the 60s for $3 million in cash and went to Harvard Divinity School.

When I met Joseph, he was around 60. He had done everything he wanted to do including spending 8 years studying meditation in India. He was back in the Carmel area when he saw an article about DoodleTop in the local paper, and decided to contact me. The 30 days I spent with Joseph were some of the most remarkable of my life. He not only gave me confidence in pursuing my business, but taught me the importance of “paying it forward,” helping other inventors with their ideas. I never did get to pay Joseph for all he gave me because on the 30th “free” day of our agreement, he passed away. I am very grateful that I met him and will always miss him.