Play-Doh Celebrates 50th with Snip-its Promo

Play-Doh is sending kids to the barber's chair as part of its 50th birthday celebration with Snip-its salons, which will let young visitors sample its products while they get a new "do."

Kids can let their hair down with the
Play-Doh and Snip-its salons promotion

Starting Sept. 5, kids who visit any Snip-its salon—a hair salon just for kids—nationwide can participate in exclusive Play-Doh-themed party festivities. Before or after their haircut, kids can play with Hasbro's Play-Doh products, including the Fuzzy Pamper Crazy Cuts playset to practice their own styling skills. Select Snip-its salons will also sell Play-Doh products in-store.

When their haircut is over, kids can trade in a few locks of their hair to the Snip-its Magic Box, a contraption that exchanges cut hair for a prize. As part of Play-Doh promotion, kids will receive a one-ounce can of Play-Doh modeling compound.

The promotion builds off Play-Doh's 50th birthday "creating an experience for kids and allowing them to role play with key Play-Doh products such as the Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper Crazy Cuts," said Angie Salem, director of marketing Tonka & Play-Doh. "The play experience puts kids in control and gives them a 'real' haircutting experience before they get their own haircut."

Hasbro is using the promotion to reach moms and kids and tout is newly designed Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper Crazy Cuts playsets, Salem said.

As part of the birthday celebration, consumers can enter the Celebrate with Style sweepstakes, which dangles a vacation for four to Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. Consumers can enter in-store Sept. 5 through Oct. 10. In addition, Play-Doh is rolling out on-pack stickers with a $2 off coupon for a Snip-its haircut on four-pack Play-Doh packages in retail stores. Some 85,000 sticker coupons are expected as part of the promotion.

"Snip-its is aimed at children, and children love Play-Doh," said Sheri Saperstein Richberg, director of marketing for Natick, MA-based The Snip-its Franchise Co. "It's a natural [fit] to put these two brands together."

Online materials, print ads and signage support. Cottonwood Enterprises, Bozeman, MT, handles.

Also to honor its 50th birthday, Play-Doh this spring launched its first-ever Play-Doh-scented perfume. The fragrance, available at select stores, sells for $19. Consumers also have a chance to vote on a new Play-Doh color at Playdoh.com that could be included in an upcoming Play-Doh four-pack. Visitors can choose from one of 10 colors. The contest ends Sept. 29.

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