Growing up in the ’90s, Play-Doh was the ultimate. I had to have anything I could squish between my little fingers, tediously roll it into perfect cylinders, and squash into pretend pancakes. Today’s kids also value that type of tactile play with the same Play-Doh products we know and love, but now they’re even cooler. New Hasbro products, such as the Play-Doh Smashdown Hulk, bring the traditional Play-Doh experience a step further by introducing kids’ favorite Marvel characters into the fun.
The set, for kids ages 3 and up, features Marvel’s Hulk and Iron Man with their faces each on the outside of Play-Doh containers—they’re called Can-Heads. There are three containers of Doh included in the set, featuring blue, green, and orange colors. Kids can use the Iron Man figure to smash a cool imprint into the dough and attach the Play-Doh Can-Head onto the body to complete the figure. In addition, the Hulk figure (with smooth, rounded edges perfect for preschoolers’ hands) features an exciting smashdown action when kids place the Can-Head onto Hulk’s body and press down. His fists fling forward and smash a fun, crackling imprint into the dough. Kids can also use the bottom of the figure to mold their Doh into brick pieces, and the sides of his fists have molds for kids to create army tank and tire shapes. The mold on Hulk’s back allows kids to make fighter-jet pieces as well.
With all Play-Doh products, kids can also play with or without the accessories. (That’s the fun!) Kids can cut additional shapes into the dough and build anything they imagine by just using things around the house; such as toothpicks, plastic knives, and child-safe scissors (depending on the kid’s age). Kids can choose to mix all of the Play-Doh colors together to create a cool swirled effect or, if they’re like my little brother, they may prefer meticulously keeping all of the colors separate because if the Blue Doh gets anywhere near the Yellow Doh there are going to be serious consequences. That Yellow better be as bright as it was before playtime.
What’s great about the Smashdown Hulk set is that it’s the perfect size for youngsters and includes every thing kids needs at a low price point. Even at 3 years old, these kids know who Hulk and Iron Man are—and they love them. Incorporating the Marvel license into Play-Doh is a win-win for kids because it’s kind of like the best of both worlds for them. It’s action-figure play, imaginative play, and creative play all rolled up into one. And, the cleanup at the end is always simple. The Play-Doh goes back into the containers, kids wash their hands, and that’s a wrap.
