Beloved Drawing Toy Etch A Sketch Turns 50

AOLNews ^ | July 13th, 2010 | Joe Peacock

[Daffynition]

(July 13) -- Happy 50th birthday, Etch A Sketch.

This week in 1960, the Etch A Sketch first hit the market, according to HowStuffWorks.com. Fifty years later, the beloved piece of technology has been transformed from a simple toy to a medium for fine art, a movie character thanks to the "Toy Story" series, and an iPhone app.

Even after half a century, the Etch A Sketch maintains its youthful appearance. Once only available in the iconic red-with-grey-screen variety, the drawing tool now comes in neon-colored housings and multicolor interfaces.

The premise behind the Etch A Sketch is simple: Two knobs tied to pulleys manipulate a stylus underneath a glass housing, and an aluminum powder serves as the toy's "ink."

One quick shake, and hundreds of tiny styrene beads wipe the surface clean, making it ready for another drawing session.

It was originally called the L'Ecran Magique, or "The Magic Screen," by inventor Arthur Granjean from France. When he couldn't get local toy companies to manufacture his magic screen, he sold it to The Ohio Art Company, bringing the toy to American shores and turning it into a pop culture icon.

[fidelis]

I used to like drawing concentric “time tunnel”-like squares. And filling the whole thing in, of course. [raises hand]

[pigsmith]

Raise you hand if you spent an afternoon trying to completely fill the entire screen...

Been there, done that!

Do kids even still play with these anymore?

This middle-age kid still has one and it still works.