Open a Jar of Imagination: Show Possibility Without Promising a Finished Toy

Read the campaign story

In April 2018, Play-Doh and DDB Colombia presented Open a Jar of Imagination around Children’s Day. The documented outdoor work placed a container inside transparent forms suggesting toys. A related limited edition went to media and influencers. The Stable’s contemporary account and the campaign archive support the month and production roles; Communication Arts carries the creative directors’ explanation of the visual idea.

The outdoor, print and packaging expressions are treated as one family here, including the closely worded Open a Can of Imagination description. The sources describe a promotional execution, not a general retail promise that every container includes the surrounding object. Creative claims about imagination, universal understanding or child development are not independent evidence. The campaign’s absence-of-instructions rhetoric does not remove product age guidance or safety requirements.

Editorial interpretation: the transparent outline makes absence do explanatory work. The audience can see that the material is not yet the object, while being offered one possible direction for making. This is different from presenting a photograph of an expert’s finished creation, which may conceal the labour between purchase and result. The visual gap can invite participation, provided the viewer understands that it represents possibility rather than a guaranteed supplied item.

Editorial interpretation: this mechanism depends on a careful balance between specificity and openness. Too little suggestion makes the package difficult to interpret; too much makes one output feel prescribed. A useful concept gives people enough information to begin imagining alternatives without claiming that every result is equally easy. The product’s recognisable form anchors the message, but its factual contents still need an ordinary, unambiguous explanation.

Keep the imagined result distinct from the actual contents

A striking package or display can create a false expectation even when no sentence explicitly makes a promise. Ask people what they think is included before explaining the concept. Distinguish a demonstration prop, special promotional pack and standard retail item. If the idea requires that distinction to remain hidden, it is unsuitable as a product explanation. A small team can test a flat diagram first and add a plain contents statement. Clarity about what someone receives should survive the most memorable visual interpretation.

Leave space for the audience to supply an alternative

One suggested outcome can help people understand a flexible material, but the communication should not imply that copying it is the correct use. Invite several possible interpretations and avoid ranking responses by polish. For an adaptation, use an original abstract outline rather than a recognisable entertainment character. Ask whether viewers can imagine a second use without being prompted with another example. That reveals whether the visual introduces a broader capability or simply advertises a single object the material might resemble.

Do not let imaginative rhetoric override practical limits

A creative invitation still needs truthful information about suitability, handling and supervision. Treat those as part of the product journey rather than inconvenient text to remove from the concept. Avoid asserting cognitive or developmental benefits without appropriate evidence. The same principle applies to adult craft materials: an open-ended use does not mean every technique or audience is suitable. An educational analysis can borrow the communication structure without providing product recipes, construction instructions or a public activation that requires specialist safety review.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: an adult paper-craft workshop could compare two original diagrams for a supplied set of large paper shapes. One shows the contents directly; the other places them beside a dotted outline of a possible arrangement. Both state the same contents and make clear that the arrangement is only an example. No commercial product packaging, branded characters, sculpting compound or public installation is needed.

Measure contents comprehension, ability to suggest another use and mistaken expectations about included parts. Record interest separately from creative confidence, product demand or developmental claims.

Stop if viewers expect an object not supplied, the outline implies a guaranteed result, or practical guidance is obscured by the visual idea.

• Use identical contents and wording in both versions.
• Ask what is included before discussing the visual idea.
• Allow an alternative arrangement and a verbal response.