Pongo and Das

I challenge any grandfather who is shaping the Didò together with his grandson not to call him Pongo.

The Pongo was a type of plasticine from Adica Pongo, in vogue in my time. It was like the current Didò, colorful and soft, easy to model, a delight for all children.

Then there was the Das, (acronym of its producer Dario Sala who patented it in 1962), more coveted if you were older. It consisted of a pasty and compact block of gray clay, similar to clay, which did not require firing in the oven, just like the one modeled by real sculptors, and you could make things out of it…