Silly Putty was invented during the second world war by Chemists who were concerned about the rubber supply began researching synthetic replacements. They stuck upon a stretchable, solid liquid material sure it was of no use at all in the war effort… but it was sold as a novelty toy inside plastic eggs. They benefited from a report in the New Yorker and as a result an order for 250,000 was asked for!

The silicone polymers used allow it to bounce and be manipulated but if you were to strike it with a hammer it will break. Its liquid silicone internal makes it act as a liquid over a long time and if you left it long enough it would form a puddle, it is a solid over a short term.

In 2009 Crayola claimed 20,000 silly putty eggs are sold each day, and since 1950 more than 300 million units have been sold.

There have been a number of tweaks over the years in the 1990’s the introduction of glow in the dark versions were very popular and I remember trying to combine two different colors.

Not many toys have made it to space, usually it is space toys or tech benefit us, but Silly Putty has been used to restrain objects in zero gravity and was taken aboard Apollo 8.

Silly Putty at its height was out selling the massive seller Crayola Crayons, years later the Crayola company bought Silly Putty themselves.