Creators of the famous Etch A Sketch drawing toy, The Ohio Art Company remains one of the world’s most widely recognized toy companies since its establishment in 1908. Henry Winzeler started up a manufacturing company in 1908. He started with a workshop in Archibold, Ohio. He named it the Ohio Art Company. He began making metal picture frames and novelty items that were sold in retail stores all over America. The company invested in metal lithography equipment and in 1917, the Ohio Art Company began manufacturing toys, music boxes and climbing monkeys. After world war 1, the toy company grew exponentially, leading to the introduction of colorful tea sets and drums. In the late 1950s, a French electrician named André Cassagnes created a drawing toy that used a joystick, glass and aluminum powder. The combination, which he called the “Telecran”, gave users the ability to draw a picture and also erase it. After much collaboration with many individuals, the system they developed in the late 1950s is the same one used today. The name of the product was Etch A Sketch.
The final product of the Etch A Sketch was first produced on July 12, 1960 at the Bryan, Ohio Art factory.
Examples of there early tin lithograph work survive today thanks to avid collectors and museums. The quality of their work can be seen in Fido’s Musical Dog House with superb lithograph work and even a genuine Swiss mechanical movement inside.
