Chapter 1 Born into the Born into the Business Business Business Business Business Joseph McVicker was born on September 9 1930 in Cincinnati Ohio His father Cleophus Cleo McVicker came from a family of Scottish immigrants Irma Joseph’s mother was an immigrant too She left Austria for the United States when she was six years old Cleo McVicker and his brother Noah McVicker ran a company called Kutol Products The company made soaps and other cleaning supplies Noah was the plant manager and product developer Cleo focused on sales In 1928 Cleo and Irma had a daughter Ruth The family business was doing well at the time However when Joseph was born two years later many companies were entering the soap-making business Competition was fierce fun fact National Play-Doh Day is September 16 a week after Joseph’s birthday 4
Irma McVicker poses with her children Joseph left and Ruth right As a young man Joseph joined the family business A changing economy had caused the company’s sales to decrease But Joseph had an idea for a new product that would make the business more successful than ever That product was Play-Doh the world-famous toy 5
Chapter 2 A CURIOUS A CURIOUS A CURIOUS A CURIOUS A CURIOUS ChildChild As a child Joseph was creative and introverted He asked many questions and wanted to understand the world around him From Joseph’s earliest days he wondered about people life and spirituality He spent a lot of time listening to music and reading Joseph’s mother understood her son’s quiet artistic nature But Joseph’s father did not Cleo was outgoing and active in sports Joseph was more interested in reading than playing sports But he did learn to play golf from his father who was an excellent golfer 6 Despite their differences Joseph right worked hard to earn his father’s approval
Joseph posing in his Culver Military Academy uniform The school emphasized discipline and leadership After he completed elementary school in 1944 Joseph went to boarding school He attended Culver Military Academy in Culver Indiana for four years The demanding military life was difficult for Joseph It didn’t suit his creative nature The teachers punished him because he was left-handed At that time being left-handed was seen as a flaw But Joseph wanted his parents to be proud of him So he buried his passions worked very hard and did well 7
