Activity book:Trace & Color Shrinky Dinks

In 1973, den mothers Betty Morris and Kathryn Bloomberg of Brookfield, Wisconsin, invented Shrinky Dinks as a cub-scout project with their sons. Packaged as an arts and crafts product for children, Shrinky Dinks consists of sheets of polystyrene that kids can color and cut into shapes. When the sheets are heated in an oven, they shrink to small, thin, hard plates without altering colors or shape. At first, the den mothers sold their craft kits at a local shopping center. The popular kits soon attracted licensing deals with major toy companies like Milton Bradley, Colorforms, Western Publishing, and Skyline toys. By the 1980s, when the activity kits were most popular, most of the sets were preprinted with outline images of popular characters of books, TV, and movies. While a popular activity for children, Shrinky Dinks also appeal to adults who make colorful jewelry and other products from sheets of plastic.