File:Mattel VAC-U-FORM Classic Toy Commercial (1960s)

Description
Mattel™ VAC-U-FORM™ Classic Toy Commercial

The VAC-U-FORM, was a toy made by Mattel in the early 1960s. Based on the industrial process of vacuum forming, a rectangular piece of plastic was clamped in a holder and heated over a metal plate. When the plastic was soft, the holder was swung to the other side, over a mold of the object to be formed. Then pressing a handle on the side of the unit created a vacuum, sucking the plastic down over the mold and shaping it to it. When the plastic cooled it solidified, making an impression of the item.

Various molds came with the kit. Several expansion kits were also available for molding various other shapes. In actual use almost any small object that could withstand the temperature of the heated plastic sheet for a few seconds of could be used as a mold. Plastic refill sheets came in a variety of colors.

The VAC-U-FORM toy is well made and many are still in use today both as a toy, and used for small size part production in conjunction with other hobbies such as making R/C aircraft cowling and other parts.

VAC-U-FORM repair kits and upgrade parts are still being produced by a third party company to help restore operation to aged and worn out units. (http://www.gaugepods.com/vacuform/parts.htm).

The VAC-U-FORM may have difficulty being made and sold as a toy in today's world due to safety issue related to the exposed very hot surfaces that were easily accessible to a child playing with the toy. However, ToyMax™ (Cedarhurst, NY) produced a similar product in the 1990s called the "VAC-U-FORMER™" with changes that attempted to address some safety issues of the earlier Mattel product. The hotplate was replaced with a light bulb in style similar to the EASY-BAKE™ oven. The mold and forming area was covered so the hot plastic was protected from direct touch during the molding and cooling stage.

Both the Mattel and ToyMax products, as well as refill plastic sheets, can easily be found on eBay and Amazon.