Friday, December 30, 2005

About the Etch-A-Sketch

The following is taken from Michael Nevin's Pure Music website. Check out HIS etchAsketch gallery!

In the late 1950s, a Frenchman named Arthur Granjean invented the device he called L'Ecran Magique, or "The Magic Screen." The Ohio Art Company adopted the patent, developed the toy's now-classic shape and color, and renamed the magic screen "Etch A Sketch." Since the Etch A Sketch first went on the market in 1960, over 100 million children (and adults) in 67 countries have been drawn to its irresistible white knobs for endless hours of etching fun and meditative discovery.

The reverse side of the glass screen is coated with a mixture of aluminum powder and plastic beads. The left and right knobs control horizontal and vertical rods that move a stylus where the two meet. When the stylus slides through the powder, it scrapes the screen leaving the line you see. Shaking the device re-mixes the powder, thus clearing the screen.

The Etch A Sketch® name and configuration is a registered trademark of the Ohio Art Company. Their online store is here, and etch-a-sketch.com (with info, kid fun, and a sketch-art gallery) is here.

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