I’m not sure who (if anyone) was actually “fooled” by this, but as I finally catch up on emails here at Rock Father HQ, I thought it was pretty cool that the folks at ThinkGeek actually put out a legit press release for one of their notoriously-awesome April Fools jokes. It’s become a running tradition over there for an assortment of fake products to arrive on April 1 each year (some have even become real), and 2013 is no exception. Personally, the STAR WARS Death Star Trench Toss is my favorite, but the PLAY-DOH 3D Printer got the full PR treatment.
Based on the evergreen PLAY-DOH line from Hasbro, here’s the fictional pitch that arrived here today…
Expensive “at-home” versions of 3D printers have been on the market for years now and for decades children have grown up with Play-Doh’s extruder toys to shape colorful clay. The technology to blend those two realities has only recently become available and ThinkGeek is the exclusive retailer for this fantasy turned real.
Users of the Play-Doh 3D Printer need only insert three cans of their favorite color, load up the free app on their tablet of choice, and get creative. Once a 3D model is rendered in the app, users manipulate the device’s dials to create the solid piece.
While not as sturdy as plastic-based 3D printers, Play-Doh 3D Printer creations will harden over time and can be painted like the real thing. This is an excellent opportunity for fostering creativity while teaching valuable CAD skills to the engineers of tomorrow.
Unlike ThinkGeek products of the past, I don’t think that a Play-Doh 3D Printer would be technically possible to create. If you are curious to learn more, there’s a fairly elaborate product page set up for it on the ThinkGeek website.
What do YOU think of this fictional plaything?
