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• The Etch-a-Sketch is a drawing toy that contains a screen, stylus, aluminum powder, and two knobs. It is a classic toy that is still widely used today.

• Fast Facts

  1. Common uses: Making temporary drawings
  2. Made from: Plastic casing and aluminum powder
  3. Price range: $5-$20
  4. Invented by: Andre Cassagnes
  5. Used by some artists to produce permanent art work
  6. Featured in the film "Toy Story"

• Mechanism

  To draw a picture with the Etch-a-Sketch the knobs must be turned. The knobs are used to control the stylus that is contained inside of the toy. When the stylus moves against the screen, it removes the powder stuck to the screen thus making a mark. Overtime an image is formed that is visible through the screen. To erase this image the Etch-a-Sketch is shaken and the aluminum dust sticks to the screen covering up the spaces that made the old image.

• History

  In 1955, Frenchman Andre Cassagnes developed the toy he called the Telecran, which he modeled after a television. The toy was composed of a joystick, small plastic beads, aluminum powder, plastic and glass. The idea was to create a device that could draw without pens and paper. He sold the rights of the toy to Ohio Art in 1959. By 1960 the Etch-a-Sketch was on the market.

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