Chapter: Success From Failures
The story of a failure that turned into a successful toy that’s been used in everything from children’s play to space voyages. A combination of engineering, accident and entrepreneurship produced one of the most successful toys of the twentieth century.
Early in World War II, James Wright was working in General Electric’s Connecticut labs under a government contract to create an inexpensive substitute for synthetic rubber. One day in 1943, Wright happened to drop boric acid into silicone oil, and was astonished to find that the resulting “goo” would stretch and bounce further than rubber, even at extreme temperatures. Wright had tried to make synthetic rubber, but failed. Nobody could figure out what to do with the result until a marketing genius named Peter Hodgson gave it a name (Silly Putty), put it in a little plastic egg and sold it as a novelty toy.
Ironically, it was only after its success as a toy that practical uses were found for Silly Putty. It picks up dirt, lint and pet hair, can stabilize wobbly furniture, and it copies any newspaper or comic-book print that it touches. It has also been used in stress-reduction and physical therapy, and in medical and scientific simulations. The crew of Apollo 8 even used it to secure tools in zero-gravity.
Peter Hodgson’s product left him an estate of $140 million at his death in 1976. More than 300 million little eggs have been sold. Silly Putty, still a recognized name in over 95 percent of American households, remains one of the classic novelty products of modern times.
Possible Moral
You won’t reach success without failure. A history of human failure would make for a long and interesting book, yet we prefer books about success stories – like the one you’re reading right now. Going through life, we’ll experience both successes and failures, but it’s how we handle success or failure that makes the difference in the long run. A greater value was found in Silly Putty due to Peter Hodgson’s way of seeing things. When Wright and the rest of General Electric saw failure, Hodgson saw an opportunity.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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