Inventor of Etch A Sketch Dies at 86: Are You a Fan of the Toy?

Andrew Cassagnes, the inventor Etch A Sketch, died on January 16 in France. He was 86 years old.

According to The Ohio Art Company, which produces the beloved toy, “In the late 1950's, Andre Cassagnes, an electrician in France, stumbled upon the idea of creating a drawing toy with a joystick, glass and aluminum powder. Cassagnes called this early concept, the ‘Telecran,’ which, through relationships with key business partners, made its way to [Henry Simon] Winzeler. Winzeler connected Cassagnes with Jerry Burger, Chief Engineer at the Ohio Art Company, so they could collaborate and perfect the system. The system they developed in the late 1950s is the same system that is at the core of the Etch A Sketch® today.”

The first Etch A Sketch rolled off the factory line in 1960 and more than 50 years later the toy remains relevant. Since its creation, over 150 million Etch A Sketches have been sold and the toy is now available in color as well as on mobile phones and tablet computers. The Etch A Sketch made appearances in Pixar’s “Toy Story” movies, it has been inducted into the national Toy Hall of Fame, and who could forget the much-publicized gaffe in the 2012 presidential campaign when a Mitt Romney aide likened the candidate’s views to the toy’s ability to wipe the slate clean and start over.

So, what about you SodaHeads? Are you fans of the Etch A Sketch?