The Magic of Etch-a-Sketch

Fifty-two years ago yesterday the Ohio Art Company launched the Etch-a-Sketch.  Though I am a card-carrying member of the Official Etch-A-Sketch Club (that’s my actual membership patch) I’ll admit that I had no idea how turning those knobs created the pictures on the screen that you can magically erase with a few shakes.  When I was little I just thought it was magic.  To celebrate Etch-a-Sketch’s birthday I wanted to find out.
I considered taking apart my mini Etch-a-Sketch to solve this riddle, but I decided to check the internet first.  Well, let me tell you that it was a good thing I did.  It turns out that Etch-a-Sketches are filled with aluminum powder and aluminum powder sticks to pretty much everything.  Had I tried to open mine up, I would probably be sitting here still covered head to toe in it.  I likely also would have sent small plastic balls flying all over my living room since Etch-a-Sketches are filled with them too.  Their job is to keep the aluminum powder from clumping together and distribute it evenly over the inside of the glass plate.  A small stylus is attached to some very tightly strung wires which in turn are connected to the two knobs.  Turning the knobs moves the stylus across the glass scraping away some of the aluminum powder to leave a design. When you’re done drawing and turn it over, the plastic balls land on the glass and shake the aluminum powder back up so you can start again!  And I learned all of this without losing one speck of aluminum powder!  

The Etch-a-Sketch was invented by Arthur Granjean and sold to the Ohio Art company, who launched it in 1960. They promoted it though television commercials like this one:




There are hundreds of videos of people creating amazing works of art on Etch-a-Sketches, but personally I’m still happy just drawing uneven boxes.  It’s still one of the coolest toys around.  

Happy Birthday, Etch-a-Sketch!