Tongue depressor

[1] Earlier versions of depressors were made from balsa, pine, or redwood woods.

Tongue depressors made from wood and metal exist from the American Civil War.

[2] The most common modern tongue depressors are flat, thin, wooden blades, smoothed and rounded at both ends,[3] but, historically, tongue depressors have been made of a variety of materials.

[4] Since they are inexpensive and difficult to clean because of their porous texture, wooden tongue depressors are labeled for disposal after a single usage.

Hobbyists, artists and teachers use wooden tongue depressors in sculptural projects, which has led to the name craft sticks.