The Kingdom of Plastics

This 1940s educational film, likely produced by an industry leader like DuPont or Dow, explores the burgeoning world of plastics, dubbed the “Fourth Kingdom” alongside minerals, plants, and animals. Filmed in black-and-white, it celebrates the versatility of thermoplastic and thermosetting compounds amid WWII’s material demands. The narrative contrasts thermoplastics—pliable when heated, like polyethylene for packaging or nylon for parachutes—with thermosets, rigid once cured, like Bakelite for radio casings or epoxy for aircraft parts. Factory scenes showcase thermoplastics being melted and molded into bottles or fibers, while thermosets harden in molds for electrical insulators or helmet liners. Animations illustrate molecular differences: thermoplastics’ linear chains vs. thermosets’ cross-linked networks. Highlighting properties—thermoplastics’ recyclability, thermosets’ heat resistance—it ties their uses to wartime innovation and postwar promise, ending with a vision of plastics reshaping daily life. An upbeat, science-driven ode to a synthetic revolution.