Not much has changed with Play-Doh in the past 60+ years. It is an iconic toy that kids have been pushing, pulling and molding into fun shapes since the mid 1950s. Of course there are constantly new toys to use with Play-Doh including Disney-themed molds and the color selection continues to expand, but Play-Doh itself — it’s been the same compound since our parents were little. It’s a classic, and we all love it.
Can you guess where I am going with this?
Play-Doh has a new compound – Play-Doh Plus.
When I was told about the new Play-Doh, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, literally. Advertised as smoother than traditional Play-Doh, I was extremely curious to test it for myself. I wondered if I would actually be able to feel a difference, or if it was just advertising fluff.
To feed my curiosity, Hasbro sent me a few cans of Play-Doh Plus and the Play-Doh Disney Princess Rapunzel Hair Designs Set (for my princess-loving girls) to test.
I was excited about Play-Doh Plus, my daughter only had eyes for Rapunzel.
Play-Doh Plus
It’s surprisingly softer and smoother, but interestingly it is also stickier. I was admittedly surprised just how different Play-Doh Plus feels compared to traditional Play-Doh. It’s fluffy. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it is truly different. And it’s really kind of cool.
The idea behind Play-Doh Plus is that the softer, fluffier texture lends itself to more realistic molding details. For example, with the Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Frosting Fun Bakery Playset (that now comes with two cans of Play-Doh Plus) kids can mold more realist desert toppings. We don’t have this set exactly, but we have a similar, older version and K found that Play-Doh Plus is MUCH easier to squirt out than traditional Play-Doh. In fact, she could do it herself with the new Play-Doh vs always asking me to push it for her with the traditional Play-Doh. Similarly, the Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Flip ‘N Frost Cookies Set comes with a can of Play-Doh Plus to frost your cookies.
Play-doh Plus definitely provides a softer texture that is perfect for squeezable toppings. However, the soft texture means that it is significantly more sticky. Not to the fingers, it still molds beautifully in the hands and it works perfectly in toys that squirt Play-Doh, but when it comes to molds that you press the Play-Doh into — stick to traditional Play-Doh. Because it is softer Play-Doh Plus does not remove cleanly from molds. In fact, I found myself reaching for a toothpick to scrape out bits when K tried to mold Play-Doh Plus on her Rapunzel set.
This let to a mini mommy melt-down as traditional Play-Doh and Play-Doh Plus in various colors began to be mixed together. Ack! I am so not fun because it drives me nuts when colors mix, adding new Play-Doh into the mix was almost too much. Deep breaths mommy, it is ok for Play-Doh to mix.
Once we got used to using Play-Doh Plus, we both really liked it. The texture is a lot of fun to play with and it is even more pliable for little hands. But because of the sticky factor, it does have limitations. Because of that I don’t think it will ever replace good-old Play-Doh, but it does make a nice complement for even more fun. Look for the purple can.
Play-Doh Disney Princess Rapunzel Hair Designs Set
I wasn’t the least bit surprised that K loved the Rapunzel Hair Designs Set, after all the Prettiest Princess Castle was one of only three things she asked Santa for at Christmastime and her favorite feature is making Rapunzel’s hair grow from the tower. So this set was even more fun because she could make Rapunzel’s hair grow and then add colorful, braided extensions. K also loves molds, so she really enjoyed making jewels to decorate Rapunzel’s hair with the molds around the base of the set. (As I noted earlier, traditional Play-Doh is better for these molds.) As you can see, she even free-styled some earrings and a necklace.
Another successful Play-Doh toy in our book.
Play-Doh products received to facilitate this review, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.