Editing Silly Putty (section)

==History==
During World War II, [[Japan]] invaded rubber-producing countries as it expanded its [[sphere of influence]] in the [[Pacific Rim]]. Rubber was vital for the production of [[raft]]s, [[tire]]s, [[Automobile|vehicle]] and [[aircraft]] parts, [[WWII gas mask|gas mask]]s, and [[boot]]s. In the US, all rubber products were rationed; citizens were encouraged to make their rubber products last until the end of the war and to donate spare tires, boots, and coats. Meanwhile, the government funded research into synthetic rubber compounds to attempt to solve this shortage.<ref name="official history">{{cite web| url=http://www.sillyputty.com/history_101/timeline/timeline.htm|title=Silly Putty Timeline|publisher=Binney & Smith |access-date= 2009-10-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090422021613/http://www.sillyputty.com/history_101/timeline/timeline.htm |archive-date=2009-04-22}}</ref>

Credit for the invention of Silly Putty is disputed<ref name=Glater>{{cite news|last1=Glater|first1=Jonathan D.|title=Earl L. Warrick, 91, a Dow Corning Creator of Silly Putty|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/22/business/earl-l-warrick-91-a-dow-corning-creator-of-silly-putty.html|access-date=30 September 2015|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 2002}}</ref> and has been attributed variously to [[Earl L. Warrick|Earl Warrick]]<ref name="transcript"/> of the then newly formed [[Dow Corning]]; Harvey Chin; and [[James Wright (inventor)|James Wright]], a [[Scottish people|Scottish]]-born inventor working for [[General Electric]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]].<ref>''The Big Book of Boy Stuff'', p. 88. {{ISBN|1-58685-333-3}}</ref> Throughout his life, Warrick insisted that he and his colleague, Rob Roy McGregor, received the patent for Silly Putty before Wright did;<ref name= else>{{cite web|last1=Coopee|first1=Todd|title=Nothing Else is Silly Putty!|url=https://toytales.ca/silly-putty-crayola/|website=ToyTales.ca|date=2017-02-27}}</ref> but Crayola's history of Silly Putty states that Wright first invented it in 1943.<ref name="official history" /><ref>{{US patent|2431878}} – ''Treating dimethyl silicon polymer with boric acid''</ref><ref>{{US patent|2541851}} – ''Process for making puttylike elastic plastic, siloxane derivative composition containing zinc hydroxide''</ref> Both researchers independently discovered that reacting [[boric acid]] with [[silicone oil]] would produce a gooey, bouncy material with several unique properties. The non-toxic putty would bounce when dropped, could stretch farther than regular rubber, would not go moldy, and had a very high melting temperature. However, the substance did not have all the properties needed to replace rubber.<ref name=Roberts/>

In 1949, toy store owner Ruth Fallgatter came across the putty. She contacted marketing consultant Peter C. L. Hodgson (1912–1976).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sillyputtyhistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post.html|title=Silly Putty - Early History - This is What I Know: Peter C.L. Hodgson Obituary (New York Times)|first=Carol|last=Haynes|date=January 1, 2011}}</ref> The two decided to market the bouncing putty by selling it in a clear case. Although it sold well, Fallgatter did not pursue it further. However, Hodgson saw its potential.<ref name=Roberts/><ref name= Thayer />

Already US$12,000 in debt, Hodgson borrowed $147 to buy a batch of the putty to pack {{Convert|1|oz|g|adj=on|abbr=on}} portions into plastic eggs for $1, calling it Silly Putty. Initial sales were poor, but after a ''New Yorker'' article mentioned it, Hodgson sold over 250,000 eggs of silly putty in three days.<ref name=Thayer/> However, Hodgson was almost put out of business in 1951 by the [[Korean War]]. Silicone, the main ingredient in silly putty, was put on ration, harming his business. A year later, the restriction on silicone was lifted and the production of Silly Putty resumed.<ref name=history/><ref name=Nowak>{{cite book|last1=Nowak|first1=Peter|title=Sex, bombs, and burgers : how war, pornography, and fast food have shaped modern technology| date= 2011| publisher=Lyons Press|location=Guilford, Connecticut|isbn=978-0762772742|pages=115–16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9uRQzJRRcEC&pg=PA115|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603121954/https://books.google.com/books?id=h9uRQzJRRcEC&pg=PA115|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-06-03|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> Initially, it was primarily targeted towards adults. However, by 1955, the majority of its customers were aged six to twelve. In 1957, Hodgson produced the first televised commercial for Silly Putty, which aired during the ''[[Howdy Doody|Howdy Doody Show]]''.<ref name=Sunshine>{{cite book|last1=Sunshine|first1=Linda|title=101 uses for Silly Putty|date=1990|publisher=Andrews and McMeel|location=Kansas City|isbn=978-0836218633|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/101usesforsillyp00lind}}</ref>

In 1961, Silly Putty went worldwide, becoming a hit in the [[Soviet Union]] and Europe. In 1968, it was taken into [[lunar orbit]] by the [[Apollo 8]] astronauts.<ref name=Nowak/>

Peter Hodgson died in 1976. A year later, Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola products, acquired the rights to Silly Putty. {{As of|2005}}, annual Silly Putty sales exceeded six million eggs.<ref name=Sterngass>{{cite book |last1 =Sterngass| first1= Jon| last2= Kachur| first2= Matthew |title= Plastics|date=2005|publisher=World Almanac Library|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |isbn= 978-0836858785| pages= 33–34| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HYkfVfNXIGIC&pg=PA34}}</ref>

Silly Putty was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]] on May 28, 2001.<ref name=Scott>{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Sharon M.|title=Toys and American culture : an encyclopedia|date=2010|publisher=Greenwood|location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn= 978-0313347986| page= 288| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mbTUorcuXkoC&pg=PA288}}</ref>