The History Of The Etch A Sketch King: George Vlosich III

Invented by Arthur Granjean in his garage in 1959, the first incarnation of the "Etch A Sketch" was originally called "L'Ecran Magique", the magic screen. He took it to the International Toy Fair in Germany where it was looked over by The Ohio Art Company a couple of times before they decided to take a chance on it. It was renamed "Etch A Sketch", a registered trademark, and it's popularity soared. In 1960, Ohio Art advertised the toy on television and manufactured them through noon on Christmas Eve, then shipped then to California so the people there could buy them in time for Christmas at the price of $3.99. The Etch A Sketch has changed very little over the last fifty years. In 1998-1999, the Etch A Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, joining other legendary toys such as; Frisbee, Hula Hoop, Lego, Lincoln Logs, Radio Flyer Wagon, and Play-Doh, all registered trademarks.

George Vlosich III is the reigning king of the "Etch A Sketch" art form. He first began using the toy when he was ten years old, although he had been drawing since he was two. He was given an Etch A Sketch to play with on a family vacation and George sketched the U.S. Capitol. His parents were amazed and took a picture of it. Later, the sketch got him an invitation to the White House. When George was eleven, Ohio Art began sending him sketches after a representative of the company paid him a visit to verify that he was actually doing the artwork. Originally, he would pick one up and just draw whatever came to him, but now he sketches on paper first and plans each one carefully. It takes approximately seventy-plus hours to create an original sketch, and his art has garnered him many invitations from celebrities and sports figures. George has a website which shows many of his sketches and explains his process in detail. In addition, he receives requests from all over the world for his artwork.

Inside an Etch A Sketch you will find: a small amount of very fine aluminum powder mixed with beads, a plastic stylus, side wires, and two metal rods.The beads are added to keep the aluminum powder from caking when the toy is shaken or put upside down. The wires are attached to the knobs and to the metal rods. The plastic stylus is attached where the metal rods cross. By turning the rods, the stylus is scraped across the inside of the plastic screen, dislodging the aluminum powder and giving the appearance of a line.