Creative Publications Dice

TLDR; I lucked into buying some rare dice, and then discovered new information about them that no one else had found before: a new type of packaging from 1984.

I started this blog to share information with family and friends about items from my collection. I didn't expect to uncover this story, I was just hunting for dice I didn't own.

For detailed information on these and other early polyhedral dice, I relied heavily on the research of others. Jon Peterson's Identifying the Dice of the 1970s, and Daniel Lawrence's Licensed D&D Dice. Both were well presented and invaluable, and I highly recommend them, especially if you want more details than I am providing here.

History

While there were earlier polyhedral dice available (see the links above), these were the first dice that TSR sold with Original D&D. They were from a Palo Alto, CA company named Creative Publications, started by educator and author Dale Seymour. They were initially created for educational purposes, not for tabletop gaming, and as D&D became more popular, there was worry about Creative being able to keep up with demand. In 1977, TSR moved away from Creative as a supplier and sold their own "TSR Holmes dice" along with the Holmes Basic product and through TSR catalogs. Note that the TSR Holmes dice used a red d6, not pink like the Creative Publications dice.

Generations

There are two known generations of the Creatives, both used the same dice molds, so it's difficult to tell them apart.

(1st Gen unbagged at top, 2nd Gen at bottom bagged)

1st Gen, 1972-1984?

(image source: Licensed D&D Dice)

(image source: Zenopus Archives)

Packaged in a ziplock bag, includes an insert showing a math teacher character juggling dice. Some may have been packaged without the inserts, especially those sold by TSR or included with OD&D boxes.

The insert has a title of "Polyhedra Dice", "Dodecahedra Dice", or "Octahedra Dice". The back side of the insert contains text about the five regular solids and the ancient Greeks. The address on the insert is Palo Alto, CA.

Slightly darker colors, pink d6.

2nd Gen, 1984+

Packaged in a sealed bag, includes an insert with just dice images (no teacher character).  Some may have been packaged in ziplocks or without inserts.

Insert has a title of "Polyhedra Dice". Text on the back of the insert is identical to the Gen 1 inserts, but in a different font. The address on the insert is Oak Lawn, IL

Slightly lighter colors (especially noticeable on the green d8 and blue d12), pink d6.

The insert text for both generations is:

POLYHEDRA DICE

To the ancient Greeks the five regular solids   

(tetrahedron - 4 faces, hexahedron - 6 faces,   

octahedron - 8 faces, dodecahedron - 12 faces,  

icosahedron - 20 faces) were known as the "dice 

of the gods." They were prized for their beauty 

and believed to have strange, cosmic meanings.  

Ideas to explore with your students:

*Why are these the only shapes for "true" dice?    

*Which die can be used to generate random digits?  

*Why are these solids often called Platonic solids?

*What games can you and your students create?      

*What probability models can you create?           

(Dice net for Creative Publications dice)

Reprints & Retroclones

Some retroclones of similar dice exist, but are usually associated with the later TSR Holmes dice. However, I've found only one manufacturer that makes a set with a pink d6: Threshold Diceworks.

My Memories

I never owned or used these dice as a pre-teen or teen, so I have no specific memories of them. 

My Dice

I obtained my dice in August 2026. It was in an educational materials boxed set titled "The Math Machine, Polyhedra Dice Games" by Ideal School Supply Company. I could find no other images or references to this version of the boxed set online, all the others seemed to show a later version with polyhedral dice from the 1990's. So this is really a unique set, and the first concrete evidence of a date associated with the second generation of Creative Publications dice. So far these are the only known sealed bagged Creative Publications dice, as many were distributed in ziplock bags.

The Oak Lawn, IL address is also new, as all previously known Creative Publications dice were shipped from their Palo Alto, CA distribution centers. There is no specific date when Creative opened a new distribution center in Oak Lawn, and given that the Ideal School Supply Company had been operating in Oak Lawn for a while previous to 1984, this may have been a negotiated business partnership.

I'm treating and handling these dice very carefully, and will not open the bags.

Minutiae

The Oak Lawn, IL address no longer exists. 42 acres described as "the village's most notorious eyesore", including several old buildings, were purchased in 2011 with the intent to develop new commercial space. Today, the address maps to a location between a T.J. Maxx and an Illinois DMV building. The old buildings were torn down in October 2012 and January 2013, this is a photo of one of those buildings.

I haven't been able to find a reference or meaning for the "38260" sticker on the bags, likely it's a SKU or inventory number.

(updated 9/8/2026)