![]() Over the decades, the Etch A Sketch leapt from children’s toy boxes onto TV and movie screens across the world. IT’S A POP CULTURE-AND POLITICAL-PHENOMENON. Other notable Etch A Sketchers include George Vlosich, who drew an Etch A Sketch portrait of President Barack Obama prior to his inauguration, and Christoph Brown, who refers to himself as the “World’s Fastest Etch A Sketch Artist." 10. The secret to creating long-lasting drawings, she says, is to drill holes in the back of the casing and drain the Etch A Sketch of its aluminum powder. One particular artist, Nicole Falzone, has been referred to as the “Monet of the Magic Screen” for her detailed Etch A Sketch portraits of celebrities like Jim Carrey, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Gates. While Etch A Sketch drawings aren’t meant to be permanent, some people use the toy to create professional works of art. ![]() IT’S SOMETIMES TRANSFORMED INTO PERMANENT ART. According to CNBC, more than 100 million Etch A Sketches have been sold since its introduction in 1960. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association ranked it as one of the 20th century’s hundred best toys. In 1998, the Etch A Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, cementing its place in history alongside inventions like the Slinky, the skateboard, and Silly Putty. She eventually emerges and announces that her favorite toy “is magic!" The ads were such a hit that, come holiday season, Ohio Art was hard-pressed to fill orders. America soon caught wind of the toy thanks to a televised marketed campaign featuring a little girl named Pernella who hides underneath a basket with her Etch A Sketch because everyone wants to play with it. Production of the Etch A Sketch began on July 12, 1960. Not happy with your drawing? All you have to do is shake the toy, and the aluminum powder will re-coat the screen and erase the markings. When you move the knobs, the stylus is dragged through the powder, creating a line. A stylus is connected to a pulley system, which, in turn, is attached to the horizontal and vertical metal rods. The inside of the toy’s glass screen is covered with aluminum powder, which has tiny beads mixed in to keep it from clumping. IT WORKS AS A PLOTTER.Īlthough the Etch A Sketch’s inner workings might seem like a mystery, they’re actually pretty straightforward. It was eventually re-named the Etch A Sketch by the Ohio Art Company. The toy was originally marketed as the “Télécran" in France, but was later called the “L’Ecran Magique,” or Magic Screen. Eventually, Ohio Art-who is said to have also passed on the Etch A Sketch-reconsidered and acquired the invention. The Etch A Sketch was showcased at the 1959 Nuremberg Toy Fair, but toy companies didn’t want to pay a steep fee for the rights. TOY MANUFACTURERS ORIGINALLY REJECTED THE ETCH A SKETCH. ![]() He later re-designed the toy to have two knobs. This was present in Cassagnes’s original designs. THE ETCH A SKETCH ORIGINALLY HAD A JOYSTICK. Since Granjean filed and paid for the patents, he was mistakenly referred to as the toy’s inventor for years. Chaze’s accountant, Arthur Granjean, helped the duo receive patents for the Etch A Sketch in both France and America. However, he didn’t have enough money to patent it so he teamed up with an investor named Paul Chaze. CREDIT IS OFTEN GIVEN TO THE WRONG INVENTOR.Ĭassagnes perfected his design and he soon won a prize in a French invention competition. Observing this phenomenon inspired Cassagnes to create his own drawing toy using a plotter and aluminum powder. ![]() Turns out, Cassagnes’s pencil had raked a line through the metallic powder, displacing the particles that had clung to the decal thanks to an electrostatic charge. Aluminum powder used in the manufacturing process made its way onto a light-switch plate that Cassagnes was installing, and he noticed that when he made pencil marks on the plate’s translucent protective decal, they showed up on its other side. The factory produced an ornate embossed wall covering called Lincrusta. According to lore, an electrician named Andre Cassagnes was installing a light fixture in a factory during the 1950s. While the Etch A Sketch seems as American as apple pie, it’s actually a French invention. Here are 11 nostalgia-inducing facts about the classic toy, in honor of National Etch A Sketch Day. Even if you didn’t grow up to become an artist, chances are you honed your childhood drawing skills on an Etch A Sketch.
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