In the 1920s, researchers first commercially developed polystyrene.

Bakelite was much less flammable than celluloid and the raw materials used to make it were more readily available. Bakelite was only the beginning. In the 1920s, researchers first commercially developed polystyrene, a spongy plastic used in insulation. Soon after came polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, which was flexible yet hardy. Acrylics created transparent, shatter-proof panels that mimicked glass.