As the brand is celebrating its fiftieth birthday this year, we checked in to see if the online presence fits the mold or needs some shaping up. With a lively and colorful portal that resembles a child’s play area, Play-Doh certainly knows its target audience. There is something for everyone on the homepage—kids, parents and teachers alike. The bright navigation menu with soft-rounded corners is obviously designed to appeal to youngsters, but it does a good job of highlighting different sections of the site at the same time. Each section uses colorful photographs on the main area of the page to draw the viewer in.

The appeal of Play-Doh is the ability to squash and pound it into countless shapes, so it’s good to see an entire ideas gallery dedicated to objects and animals that will help spur creativity. The ideas are arranged in levels—Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced—so a child can move easily from simple forms to more complex ones. Like an ideal crafts manual, the site spoon-feeds instructions; each step is illustrated with pictures that will help kids design whatever they find attractive.

If you’re tempted to buy a Play-Doh product, the site showcases a range of tools and playsets, such as Doggy Doctor and Meal Makin’ Kitchen. Click the Buy It button and you’re off to the Hasbro toyshop, where Play-Doh products are available along with other items. A perfect way to capture busy parents who may not have the free hands to go shopping at the bricks and mortar.

A particularly disappointing section on the site is the For Kids area, which brings visitors to a whole new portal for “Monkeybar TV” (also promoted on the top navigation). While this section has some fun stuff for children (games, puzzles), it seems to be more about promoting Monkeybar and is a distraction from the potential of Play-Doh’s own “for kids” activities.

The About Play-Doh section is an obligatory corporate rendering of the brand’s history and some fiftieth anniversary updates. There’s not much excitement here; Flash or an interactive game would help make this section more appealing and in line with the mission of the brand.

Although overall, Play-Doh is well represented with bright graphics and appealing fonts, the site designers should stretch their collective imagination and create something more interactive and engaging.