Shrinky Dinks

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Shrinky Dinks
Surel'sPlaceShrinkyDinksButterflies.jpg
Shrinky Dinks butterflies.
Other namesShrinkles
TypeToy and activity kit
Inventor(s)Kate Bloomberg and Betty Morris
CountryUnited States
MaterialsPolystyrene plastic

Shrink art, Shrinky Dinks, or Shrinkles is a toy and activity kit consisting of sheets of polystyrene which can be cut with standard household scissors. When heated, the cut shapes become about nine times thicker while their horizontal and vertical dimensions reduce to about one-third the original size, resulting in hard, flat forms which retain their initial color and shape. They reached the height of their popularity in the 1980s and are still available from retailers. They can be used for a variety of things like charms and pins. Most sets are pre-printed with outline images of popular children's characters or other subjects, which are then colored in before baking. [1]

Contents

History

Shrinky Dinks were invented in 1973 by Betty Morris and Kate Bloomberg, two housewives in Brookfield, Wisconsin, as a Cub Scout project with their sons. [2] The first kits were sold at a local shopping mall and became very popular. Shrinky Dinks were soon licensed to be manufactured by the major toy companies of the time such as Milton Bradley, Colorforms, Western Publishing and Skyline Toys.

Alex Brands acquired Shrinky Dinks in 2014. [3] As of 2020, the original brand Shrinky Dinks is owned by Just Play Products. [4]

Usage

The base material consists of thin, flexible polystyrene plastic (#6) sheets. [5] Prior to heating, the plastic sheets can be colored with felt-tip pens, acrylic paint, colored pencils, etc. and cut into shapes. However, oily or waxy substances (such as cheap colored pencils,[ clarification needed ] crayons or oil paint) are not suitable because they melt or burn in high heat. When heated with the Easy-Bake Oven, a conventional oven, or a heat gun, the plastic shrinks and becomes thicker and more rigid, while retaining the colored design.

Although Shrinky Dinks are primarily an arts and crafts product marketed for children, adult crafters and artists also use the product for jewelry making and other projects. Blank sheets are available in bulk for this purpose. [6]

Applications

In 2008, University of California, Irvine Professor Michelle Khine applied Shrinky Dinks to create tiny structures for the application of microfluidics to topics such as stem cell research. [7] In 2022, Michelle Khine researched the use of Shrinky Dinks for microscale diagnostics and wearable biosensors for monitoring health. [8]

In 2009, an art therapy supervision class at Emporia State University explored the use of Shrinky Dinks in art therapy. [9] In 2014, Shrinky Dinks were presented as an art therapy medium in a workshop at the American Art Therapy Association Conference. [10]

In 2014, a team from Harvard University and MIT used Shrinky Dinks to create self-assembling robots. [11]

In 1992, the California rock band Sugar Ray formed with the name "Shrinky Dinx", but later changed it upon threat of lawsuit from the Milton Bradley Company. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayola</span> American corporation

Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing company specializing in art supplies. It is known for its brand Crayola and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered in Forks Township, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. Since 1984, Crayola has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polystyrene</span> Polymer resin widely used in packaging

Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a poor barrier to oxygen and water vapor and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, with the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene is naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging, containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative material for phonograph records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermoplastic</span> Plastic that softens with heat and hardens on cooling

A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookware and bakeware</span> Food preparation containers

Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware and bakeware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tray</span> Shallow platform designed for carrying things

A tray is a shallow platform designed for the carrying of items. It can be fashioned from numerous materials, including silver, brass, sheet iron, paperboard, wood, melamine, and molded pulp. Trays range in cost from inexpensive molded pulp trays which are disposable and inexpensive melamine trays used in cafeterias, to mid-priced wooden trays used in a home, to expensive silver trays used in luxury hotels. Some examples have raised galleries, handles, and short feet for support.

A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eraser</span> Stationery item used for erasing marks on paper

An eraser is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some pencils have an eraser on one end. Less expensive erasers are made from synthetic rubber and synthetic soy-based gum, but more expensive or specialized erasers are made from vinyl, plastic, or gum-like materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fimo</span>

Fimo is a brand of polymer clay made by German company Staedtler. Fimo is sold worldwide. Its main U.S. competitor is the American brand Sculpey. The material comes in many different colors; there are many finishes to choose from, and even a softener to use with it because it can be hard to work. It is used for making many objects, including jewelry, accessories, and small ornaments. Once shaped, Fimo is baked in a standard or toaster oven for about 30 minutes at 130 °C (265 °F) to harden it. Once baked, it can be cut, drilled, painted, sanded, and sliced thinly. According to information from Staedtler, Fimo contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but has not contained any phthalates since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymer clay</span> PVC-based hardenable modeling clay

Polymer clay is a type of hardenable modeling clay based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It typically contains no clay minerals, but like mineral clay a liquid is added to dry particles until it achieves gel-like working properties, and similarly, the part is put into an oven to harden, hence its colloquial designation as clay. Polymer clay is generally used for making arts and craft items, and is also used in commercial applications to make decorative parts. Art made from polymer clay can now be found in major museums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy-Bake Oven</span> Toy oven

The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced in 1963 by Kenner and currently manufactured by Hasbro. The original toy used a pair of ordinary incandescent light bulbs as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element. Kenner sold 500,000 Easy-Bake Ovens in the first year of production. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens had been sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vacuum forming</span> Thermoforming of plastic material

Vacuum forming is a simplified version of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mould, and forced against the mould by a vacuum. This process can be used to form plastic into permanent objects such as turnpike signs and protective covers. Normally draft angles are present in the design of the mould to ease removal of the formed plastic part from the mould.

Thingmaker, also called Creepy Crawlers, is an activity toy made by Mattel, beginning in 1964. The toy consists of a series of die-cast metal moulds resembling various bug-like creatures, into which is poured a liquid chemical substance called "Plasti-Goop", which comes in assorted colours. The mould is then heated to about 390 °F (199 °C) in an open-face electric hot plate oven. The Plasti-Goop is cured by the heat, and when cooled forms semi-solid, rubbery replicas which can be removed from the mould.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sculpey</span>

Sculpey is the brand name for a type of polymer clay that can be molded and put into a conventional oven to harden, as opposed to typical modeling clays, which require a much hotter oven, such as a kiln. Until it is baked, Sculpey has a consistency somewhat like Plasticine. Its main competitor is the German brand Fimo. It is sold in many colors, but can also be painted once baked. Sculpey has become popular with modeling artists, jewellery makers, and other craft work.

Prismacolor is a brand of professional visual arts supplies originated in 1938 by the Eagle Pencil Company, and currently manufactured by Newell Brands. Prismacolor products include, colored and graphite pencils, soft pastels, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and cases. In past years, Prismacolor also produced watercolor paintings and charcoals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorforms</span> Brand of toy

Colorforms is a creative toy named for the simple shapes and forms cut from colored vinyl sheeting that cling to a smooth backing surface without adhesives. These pieces are used to create picture graphics and designs, which can then be changed countless times by repositioning the removable color forms. The name also refers to the specific registered trademark brand these products are produced under, as well as the company that manufactures the toys, Colorforms Brand, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Andrew Romanoff</span> Russian artist and author (1923–2021)

Prince Andrew Romanoff was a Russian American artist and author. He was a grand-nephew of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II. He was a great-great-grandson in the male line of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and since the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov in 2016 was claimant to the headship of the House of Romanov until his own death 2021.

The Vac-u-form, was a toy invented by Eddy Goldfarb and released by Mattel in the 1960s around 1961 with the trademark filed on October 8, 1962.

Michelle Khine is an American bioengineer who is a distinguished scientist and innovator at the University of California, Irvine, co-founder of Fluxion Biosciences Inc., the scientific founder of the Shrink nano-technology platform, as well as the Assistant and Founding Professor of the School of Engineering at UC Merced. Khine, an associate biomedical engineering professor in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, is responsible for experimenting with childhood toys Shrinky Dinks to build microfluidic channels. Her research has enabled technological advances in industries including biological research and medical diagnostics.

References

  1. University, Carnegie Mellon. "Shrinky Dinks - Gelfand Center - Carnegie Mellon University". www.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  2. Doris Hajewski, "Shrinky Dinks founder hopes to sell toy business", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct. 27, 2008.
  3. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141217006226/en/ALEX-BRANDS%C2%AE-Acquires-Shrinky-Dinks%C2%AE
  4. "Just Play Acquires the Slinky and Shrinky Dinks Brands | License Global".
  5. Ceceri, Kathy (2008-05-23). "Shrinky Dink Science Creates Tiny Dark Evil Creatures". Wired .
  6. Shrinky Dinks becomes a serious art medium. Who knew?
  7. Anthony Grimes; David N. Breslauer; Maureen Long; Jonathan Pegan; Luke P. Lee & Michelle Khine (2008). "Shrinky-Dink microfluidics: rapid generation of deep and rounded patterns". Lab Chip. 8 (1): 170–172. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.462.3406 . doi:10.1039/b711622e. PMID   18094775.
    See also "Shrinky Dink Microfluidics". Chemical Technology. 2008 (1). 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  8. Stephanie DeMarco, Ph.d, "Shrinking Toys Inspire Diagnostics of the Future", Drug Discovery News, May 8, 2022.
  9. Wolf Bordonaro, G.; Blake, A.; Corrington, D.; Fanders, T.; & Morley, L. (2009). Exploring media processes and products: Rediscovering Shrinky Dinks. Arts and Activities. June 2009.
  10. Wolf Bordonaro, G.; Stallings, J.; Miller, K.; Schreiner, L. (2014). Trailblazing with non-traditional media: The use of shrinky dinks in art therapy. American Art Therapy Association Conference 45th Annual Conference.
  11. Anthony, Sebastian. "Harvard & MIT create first self-assembling robots" . Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. Huey, Steve. "Sugar Ray - Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 January 2013.