Play-Doh, in its current form, has been with us since 1955. and it is estimated that over 3 billion cans have been sold worldwide. Needless to say, with that long a history and sales spanning almost every cultural barrier on the planet, Play-Doh has seen more than a few changes in its history.
While a few of these changes have involved minor adjustments to its formula, the greatest variety has been in the colors that Hasbro has produced. If you are wondering how many colors of Play-Doh there are, that is the question we are here to try and answer.
Let’s jump right in.
How Many Play-Doh Colors Are There
At any given time, there are as many as fifty colors of Play-Doh in production. With the exception of the original primary colors, yellow, red, blue, and the neutral shade white, these colors are constantly changing. While there is no complete listing available, it is estimated that over 3,000 different colors of Play-Doh have been produced.
Many of these are undoubtedly almost identical but renamed for the sake of marketing. That is almost one-third of the Pantone Matching System. Based on over 40 years of experience working with Play-Doh, we know their manufacturing standards are not strict enough for there not to be some bleed over.
Play-Doh Colors List
There is no complete list of Play-Doh colors that we have been able to find. In fact, it is difficult to determine what colors are being offered at any specific time.
We have been able to discover that the most popular colors sold include:
- Rose Red
- Purple Paradise
- Garden Green
- Blue Lagoon
- Teal
- Pink
- Purple
- Bright Red
- Neon Orange
- Yellow
- Neon Green
- Bright Blue
- Rubine Red
None of these, however, have much hope of ever taking the place of the primary colors (yellow, red, blue) in terms of total sales. They have simply been around too many years. Literally, billions of cans of these three colors have been sold worldwide.
Luckily, any color of the rainbow can be created using these colors as a base.
Beyond Classic Play-Doh
Classic Play-Doh is still king of the hill, but it is far from being the only compound sold by Hasbro. There is now an entire family of Play-Dohs you can choose from.
According to Hasbro, as of May 2022, there were 32 Classic colors being produced. Beyond this, the company was shipping;
- 7 Play-Doh Confetti Colors
- 13 Sparkle Colors
- 8 Color Burst Colors
FAQ
How many cans of Play-Doh have been sold?
There are no firm numbers of how much Play-Doh has been sold. Productions rights changing hands three times has made that impossible. The best estimates that we have been able to find place Play-Doh sales at over 3 billion cans sold worldwide, totaling over 700 million pounds in the United States alone.
What is the difference between Play-Doh and Play-Doh plus?
Introduced in 2012, Play-Doh Plus addressed the most common complaint heard about Classic Play-Doh. Namely that it was too firm. Play-Doh Plus is more pliable, lighter, and softer than Classic. For people with limited hand strength, this makes it easier to work with.
What are some fun facts about Play-Doh?
- Play-Doh was originally produced in the 1920s. Its original purpose was to clean coal soot off of wallpaper.
- The scent of Play-Doh has been trademarked.
- You can buy Play-Doh scented perfume from the Demeter Fragrance Library.
- Security experts in 2005 discovered that fake fingerprints cast in Play-Doh could fool 90 percent of biometric scanners.
What were the original Play-Doh colors?
People are surprised to find out the original Play-Doh color was kind of a dirty white. That was before it was known as Play-Doh, though. When it was first marketed as a toy for children, Play-Doh came in four basic colors; white, red, yellow, and blue. These primary colors could be blended to create almost any other color needed.