Story Archive

That’s the Yeast of Their Problems

It’s “the combination of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat based dough.” Hm... he’s talking about a sweet bread recipe, maybe? Nope: “The scent of Play Doh compound has always been synonymous with childhood and fun,” continues Jonathan Berkowitz, the molding compound’s senior vice president of marketing at Hasbro. So Hasbro applied for — and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted — a registered trademark on the way Play-Doh smells. Originally created in the 1930s to clean coal dust from wall paper, the goo hit it big by adding coloring and appealing to children. Hasbro bought the brand in 1991. (RC/WCBS New York) ...So Hasbro’s lawyers will now get busy sending “Cease and Desist” letters to every bakery in the country.