'Thinking Putty' From Norristown Business Helping People In Different Ways
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – There's no doubt you've heard of silly putty; the squishy, bouncy stuff that kids have been playing with for years. But, one local company has created its own, unique putty.
Eyewitness News' Vittoria Woodill experienced first-hand just how "cool" this putty is.
"What's cooler is I didn't know that anyone would be making this stuff right here in our own backyard," Woodill said.
The putty is made at Crazy Aaron's in Norristown. It's a retail space where you can come and make your own putty.
But, the putty does a lot more when you play with it and then also when you stretch your imagination.
It helps a lot of people in a lot of different ways.
Stretching across the world and into the hands of so many is Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty. It comes in more than 50 different kinds, from the mesmerizing to the magnetic.
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While this silicone blob is silly and super fun to play with, it's helping people in a more serious way.
"Dear Crazy Aaron's Putty World, it helps me focus. It helps me when I feel frustrated," read a note that was sent to Crazy Aaron's from Angelo.
It might sound a little crazy, but not to Aaron.
"I was a software engineer, I was at my desk. I was coming up with crazy solutions to problems but always playing with toys," Aaron Muderick said. "It occurred to me that all the people who are like me, who were fidgety, [having] trouble paying attention, if they could just have something to fidget… it would help them think better."
But, the thought behind building "puttyworld" into what it is today had more to do with intention, specifically from the employees.
"We were drowning, and that was great and it was a success but we needed help," Muderick added. "I remember from back when I was in high school, I worked at a dog tag factory in Ardmore. A number of people there had intellectual disabilities. I remember they were the ones who were happy to come to work. We reached out to social services agency in Malvern. We were able to build a factory within their walls."
It is just like a crazy idea that just might work.
