The story of Play-Doh began when Kutol, a Cincinnati based soap company, was about to go under in the late 1920s.  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 1933 when Cleo was at a meeting with Kroger grocery store representatives when they asked him if he made wallpaper cleaner.  —Today I Found Out