# Is Play-Doh just plain flour dough?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 12, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536 "2003-02-12T07:00:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/1 "2003-02-12T07:00:14Z")
My friend and I were talking about Play-Doh and he mentioned that it was just plain four dough. This kind of caught me by suprise; I figured it was some kind of chemical or something- one time I took a bite into a lump of it by accident and it tasted HORRIBLE (the smell is nothing to brag about either)
I would figure that flour dough would attract ants and all kinds of other pests (…and not taste quite so bad!) Is it really flour dough? Could I toss some yeast in there and bake me a neon green loaf of bread? 😕
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### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/2 "2003-02-12T07:04:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Incubus \*
> \*\*I would figure that flour dough would attract ants and all kinds of other pests (…and not taste quite so bad!) Is it really flour dough? Could I toss some yeast in there and bake me a neon green loaf of bread? 😕 \*\*
Well, first off, you forgot about the coloring. And then something to keep bacteria from forming and kids from eating it. It’s probably a very secret process, like keeping Cracker Jacks from sticking together. 😉
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### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/3 "2003-02-12T07:11:27Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by kniz \*
> \*\*Well, first off, you forgot about the coloring. And then something to keep bacteria from forming and kids from eating it. It’s probably a very secret process, like keeping Cracker Jacks from sticking together. 😉 \*\*
But the damn things DO stick together! You ever open up a box that was more than a month old??? often enough you’ll be dropping a block of solid caramel coated popcorn and peanuts on your lap.
BTW I think Cracker Jacks are DELICIOUS! 😃
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### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/4 "2003-02-12T07:14:32Z")
[list]😉 [sup]Maybe it is the humidity where you live.[/sup]
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### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/5 "2003-02-12T07:22:13Z")
Well if I ever get tired of them I can use them as firelogs
“You can tell by the blue flame that this was a particularly sweet donut”
Homer’s Remedial Science 101 teacher
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### Author:  [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/6 "2003-02-12T08:58:21Z")
More or less. Just not a very nice tasting dough. Here are a couple of recipes:
[http://www.recipesource.com/misc/kids/00/rec0077.html](http://www.recipesource.com/misc/kids/00/rec0077.html)
> **[DK | For the curious](https://www.dk.com/us/)**
>
> We create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in.
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### Author:  [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/7 "2003-02-12T11:52:40Z")
There’s another recipe [here](http://12.162.90.33/experiments/playdough.htm) for a substitute called “Play-Dough”, which suggests strongly that it’s a flour-salt dough with a dash of alum and borax to inhibit bacterial growth. There are details about the Play-Doh patent at the end.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/8 "2003-02-12T12:28:17Z")
See William Poundstone’s book **Big Secrets**. He gives the recipe, which is available from the Pal-Doh patent (Play-Doh is _patented!_). It’s basically flour dough with kerosene (of all things) added, along with coloring, anti-mold agents, something to help it harden (although I’d think dough would harden pretty well on its own) and a little fragrance.
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### Author:  [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/9 "2003-02-12T13:57:40Z")
Ah, here it is. On [Usenet’s sci.materials](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=spworley.803544820%40shell1.best.com), Steve Worley gives the details:
“Patent 3,167,440 is by the inventor of Play-doh, Noah McVickers. In summary …
96% finely ground wheat flour
1% deodorized kerosene (to keep the material pliable)
0.8% alum (as a binder)
0.5% Borax (mostly as a preservative)
2% salt
Add water to get desired consistency. Food coloring can be added to the (white) dough.”
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### Author:  [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/10 "2003-02-12T14:53:51Z")
I believe that the high salt content is to ensure that it tastes too awful to be eaten in large quantities.
–Cliffy
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### Author:  [@Carl\_Spakler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Spakler)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-play-doh-just-plain-flour-dough/154536/11 "2003-02-12T14:59:36Z")
The kerosene content probably explains what’s wrong with me. I ate a **lot** of Play-doh as a child.
I should sue someone. 😉