Games and toys were always more fun if they involved a heat source or naked flame. Nothing comes to mind that actually used an open flame as moms tended to be skeptical about maiming and skin grafts, but Shrinky Dinks needed the fiery depths of the kitchen oven to come to life. They were made from plastic that shrunk when heated; obviously the application possibilities were endless.

Shrinky Dinks came out of Wisconsin in 1973 straddling the toy and arts & crafts genres. Quite possibly the epitome of polymer chemistry, the Dinks consisted of a plastic sheet that kids could draw and paint on using a variety of media, like markers, color pencils and acrylic paints. The activity set included several premade designs but any image could be traced on the sheet or the little artists could wing it freehand. The colored design was then cut out and placed on a cookie pan to bake in the oven, at about 325 degrees. In a matter of seconds the bits of plastic started a shrinking and curling only to end up at roughly one third their original size and nine times thicker. Clearly, this was the strongest black magic. Breathless kiddies everywhere gathered around the oven to chant, “Curl, curl, curl!” and “Shrink, shrink, shrink!”. It was part of the ritual.  After the Shrinky Dinks came out of the oven—always handled by an adult—they were allowed to cool and presto, they were ready.

Shrinky Dinks could be made into jewelry, key chains, handles, ornaments, zipper pulls, game pieces  and so on. You were only limited by your imagination. The original set had frosted plastic sheets that worked with virtually all manner of painting material, including rubber stamps. Later on, the plastic was available in different colors. Most cartoon characters had a Shrinky Dinks tie-in, from the Smurfs to the Incredible Hulk. The product had wide appeal as it could be trotted out for some rainy day fun or be used by serious crafts types to start a signature jewelry collection.

Shrinky Dinks are still around and have evolved with the times, offering ink jet printer compatible plastic, which makes actual photographs fair game for shrinking. Don’t cut your ex’s head out of all your pictures: simply transfer his or her likeness to the plastic sheet and shrink them in effigy.