Play-Doh: Moulding Futures
Program Overview
Play-Doh knows that hands-on play with its molding clay builds both emotional resonance and tangible learning value. To bring that story full circle and demonstrate the brand’s enduring educational power, Hasbro went back to school, where Play-Doh first made its debut in the mid-fifties.
Partnering with Syllabus Partners, Hasbro launched Play-Doh Moulding Futures, a nation-wide preschool marketing campaign designed to spark creativity and imaginative play with Play-Doh among young learners. Supported by Syllabus’s teacher site Together Classrooms, the program reached close to one thousand early learning centres and engaged more than 12,000 educators through additional digital outreach.
Each participating classroom received a Moulding Futures in the Classroom teacher guide, Play-Doh at Home parent booklets, classroom posters, and Play-Doh Fun Factory Starter Kits. The materials encouraged open-ended, sensory play and showed educators and families how Play-Doh supports key developmental domains including creativity, communication, and fine motor skills.
Impact
Educators across the country described the program as one of the most engaging and easy-to-use classroom initiatives they have experienced. Teachers praised its ability to drive participation, inspire imaginative thinking, and foster collaboration among students.
%
rated student engagement and enjoyment as excellent
%
said the activities effectively encouraged imagination and creativity
%
successfully integrated Play-Doh lessons into their curriculum
%
reported their students loved the Play-Doh product sampling
%
said the program positively impacted their opinion of Play-Doh as a useful classroom tool
What educators thought:
The confidence in being able to explore with Play-Doh was amazing. The creativity was beyond my expectations.
The guide’s emphasis on process-oriented play allowed us to use Play-Doh not just for fine motor skill development, but for storytelling, sensory exploration, and even math concepts. It inspired fresh and innovative experiences in the classroom.
Children were more expressive, built upon each other’s ideas, and showed improved cooperative play.
Many families used the ideas at home, and the information helped them better understand the value of open-ended play.
The Outcome
Moulding Futures: Play-Doh Kids Can turned classroom playtime into a brand experience that educators and families valued, remembered, and shared. By pairing high-quality materials with teacher-tested lessons, Play-Doh positioned itself not just as a creative toy but as a meaningful learning tool trusted by the early childhood community.
Retail partners responded to the initiative and educators overwhelmingly endorsed the program, reporting higher engagement, stronger student collaboration, and renewed appreciation for the brand’s educational value. Nearly all said they would recommend Play-Doh to other teachers and parents, showing how in-school programs can convert product awareness into authentic advocacy.
The result was a powerful reminder that when Play-Doh is in the hands of educators, it becomes more than play. It becomes proof of the brand’s role in inspiring creativity, confidence, and joyful learning every day.
About Us
Syllabus Partners creates in-school campaigns for brands and organizations that are used in classrooms across North America.