Hobbies And Interests
Features
Originally marketed in a spiral-bound book, the first sets contained 350 reusable vinyl stickers that were produced in a wide variety of bright colors and basic shapes such as squares, triangles, rectangles and circles.
History
Harry and Patricia Kislevitz invented the Colorform in 1951. Originally seeking a paint alternative, the young art students discovered that thin pieces of vinyl would stick to the walls. When friends who visited spent hours rearranging the bright vinyl pieces, the couple knew that they had stumbled onto a great toy.
Significance
Colorforms were the first toy to use licensed characters as a marketing tool when the Popeye play set was introduced in 1957.
Identification
The Colorforms logo was created by designer Paul Rand in 1959 and is still used today.
Time Frame
Over a billion Colorform sets had been sold by 1991.
Famous Ties
Television and Colorforms were a good match from the very beginning. The toy was one of the first to utilize TV commercials to market the new product.
Fun Fact
Vintage Colorforms are highly collectible. A vintage Beatles Colorforms play set sold for $520 in 2004.