Play-doh! Tool

My kids LOVE Play-doh! - but they struggle opening the containers and getting the 'doh out of the tubs. They were frustrated as they lost a little independence in having to ask me to help every time and I had to stop doing whatever I was doing, to set them up. I talked to several other parents and it seemed like a common frustration. I did some initial sketches to see if I could solve the problem. Something resembling an auger or wine bottle opener made sense.

Here's the Sizzle - (Loosely based on 'Log' from Blammo).

I had 2 things to solve and initially the solutions were 2 separate items. I was also wondering about the life cycle of the 'doh and whether it could be extended by re-hydrating it but that's a problem for another day. Here's the first concept sketch.

I started to clean things up a little and put together a little presentation.

I had a sculptor make a prototype for me so I could test it out and see if it actually worked. At this stage I thought perhaps it needed the center pole to strengthen and stop the handle from snapping. I was also envisioning using a composite material that would be a little more eco friendly than plastic.

A couple of friends suggested that I add the opener to the auger, to make it an all-in-one multi-tool. At first I cut a notch into the handle, which worked well but may be difficult for a young child to get right.

After a little exploration I found a simpler alternative which a child with less hand-eye coordination could use. I also made the handle bigger and easier for little hands to use and got rid of the unnecessary pole in the handle.

After product testing, I dialed in the opener a little more.

Here's a little proof of concept footage.

I put together a nice little presentation and pitched into Hasbro. As those of us in the biz know, you need a succinct little 1 pager and a nice sizzle.

I also did a survey and got 45 parents to share their thoughts about Play-doh! Here's an overview I included in the pitch which shows a common thread of frustration with opening and extracting the 'doh.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sell Hasbro on this concept - though they did appreciate the simple problem solving and the fun sizzle reel. Having been in the industry a little while, you get used to the rejections and we do our best to learn from them. At least, I've solved the problem in my household!

Time to shrug it off and get on with the next idea.