Colorforms's Slogans & Taglines

Colorforms was created in 1951 by art students Harry and Patricia Kislevitz in New York City. Seeking an affordable alternative to paint for their apartment walls, they discovered that thin, flexible vinyl sheeting would cling to smooth surfaces and could be repositioned endlessly without adhesive. They cut the vinyl into colourful shapes and left scissors and spare material in their bathroom for guests to create their own designs. When visitors became enthralled by the creative possibilities, the couple recognised a commercial opportunity. The first 1,000 sets were hand-assembled in their apartment and sold to FAO Schwarz, where they immediately sold out. In 1957, Colorforms introduced its first licensed character—Popeye—pioneering the licensed toy model. In 1959, legendary graphic designer Paul Rand created the iconic logo still in use today. The brand has changed hands several times, passing through Toy Biz (1997), University Games (1998), Out of the Blue Enterprises (2014), and 9 Story Media Group (2018). In 2019, Netflix launched Charlie's Colorforms City, introducing the brand to a new generation.

The brand's core products are creative playsets and toys, including repositionable vinyl shape sets, licensed character playsets, board games, sticker books, and activity kits. Its portfolio spans classic geometric sets, 3D Deluxe Playsets, and magnetic playsets featuring characters from Paw Patrol, Barbie, Bluey, and Toy Story, alongside the original Classic Colorforms Set still in production.

From its earliest days, Colorforms embraced the enduring slogan "It's More Fun To Play The Colorforms Way!" With over one billion sets sold, recognition as one of the Top 10 Toys of the Century by the Toy Industry Association, and inclusion in Time Magazine's Top 100 Toys of All Time, the brand has evolved from a bathroom art experiment into one of the most beloved creative toys in history. In 2020, Harry Kislevitz was posthumously inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, cementing Colorforms' legacy as a pioneer of open-ended, mess-free creative play.