The Etch A Sketch was introduced near the peak of the Baby Boom on July 12, 1960 for $2.99 (equivalent to $31 in 2023).  It went on to sell 600,000 units that year and is one of the best known toys of that era.  In 1998, it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

French electrical technician, Andre Cassagnes applied his experience with the clinging properties of an electrostatic charge to invent a mechanical drawing toy with no spare parts!  He called his creation L'Ecran Magique, the magic screen.  Introduced at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany in 1959 the gadget failed to draw much attention.  Numerous manufacturers passed over a chance to pick up the new toy concluding Cassagnes wanted to much money for it.  However, the Ohio Art Company took a second look and invested $25,000 which was more than they had ever paid for a license!  

Ohio Art renamed the toy Etch A Sketch and began mass production. Saturation advertising on television turned the toy into a must-have item for Christmas, 1960 and Ohio Art's factory worked feverishly until noon on Christmas Eve. Etch A Sketch has changed little since then.

Static charges hold a mixture of aluminum powder and tiny plastic beads to the inside of a clear plastic screen.  Knobs control the horizontal and vertical rods that move a stylus where the too meet.  The point scores a line across the screen's reverse side.  Experts can draw a curved or diagonal line.  Turning the screen over and giving it a shake erases the picture.

Many of the Products Ohio Art made through the Years

located in

Bryan, Ohio

Among these Toys is the Etch A Sketch!

Second Row

Factoyd:  The Etch A Sketch Club was formed in 1978 and today includes more than 2,000 Etch A Sketch artists and enthusiasts.

Did you give or receive a nostalgic Etch A Sketch this Christmas?