RIP Mr Etch A Sketch: Inventor of children's favorite which has sold 100million copies dies at the age of 86

Toy has sold 100 million copies since it was invented over 50 years ago

Andre Cassagnes stumbled on the idea by accident



Etch A Sketch founder Andre Cassagnes has died in a Paris suburb at age 86

The inventor of the Etch A Sketch toy that generations of children drew on, shook up and started over, has died at the age of 86 in France .



Andre Cassagnes died on January 16 in a Paris suburb, said the Ohio Art Co., based in Bryan in northwest Ohio.

His mechanical toy with its gray screen, red frame and two white knobs that are twisted back and forth to create drawings, was spotted by the Ohio Art Company at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1959 .

It went on to sell more than 100 million copies.



'Etch A Sketch has brought much success to the Ohio Art Company, and we will be eternally grateful to Andre for that,' said president Larry Killgallon.

'His invention brought joy to so many over such a long period of time,'



Cassagnes is survived by his wife and three children.

He stumbled on the Etch A Sketch idea in the late 1950s while working as an electrical technician.



Cassagnes saw the potential for a toy as he worked with metal powders. He found that marks in a coating of aluminium powder could be seen from the other side of a translucent plate.



The toy was launched in 1960 and became the top seller that holiday season. Though passed over in popularity for video games and gadgets, the toy has a steady market, the company has said.



It got a big jump in sales after Etch A Sketch was featured in the first two 'Toy Story' movies, and Ohio Art capitalized on a much-publicized gaffe by a Mitt Romney aide during last year's presidential election, who was asked about his candidate's views during the primary season versus the general election.

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First launched in 1960, the Etch A Sketch has endured as a children's favorite in spite of more technologically advanced toys being introduced since then Senior Romney adviser Fehrnstrom likened the Romney campaign to an Etch A Sketch: 'You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again.' Democrats and Republicans alike seized on the remark as evidence that Romney was willing to change his positions for political gain.

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Next When toy shopping gets political… Amazon users pen sarcastic... Ann Romney run for Senate? Massachusetts Republicans urging... Share this article Share And Ohio Art seized on the publicity, creating a politically themed ad campaign and manufacturing blue versions of the famously red toy.

Etch A Sketches were made in Ohio until 2000, when the company moved production to China because of increasing costs. Twitter tribute: A sketch of the inventor Andre Cassagnes Rest In Peace: André Cassagnes died aged 86 at his home in Paris Popular: Another tribute on Twitter. The toy has sold 100 million copies since it went on sale over 50 years ago Etch A Sketch has been named by the American Toy Industry Association as one of the most memorable toys of the 20th century.

As well as being the man behind Etch A Sketch, Cassagnes also developed a reputation as the most successful designer of competition kites in France during the 1980s.



Etch A Sketch got a big jump in sales after it was featured in the first two Toy Story movies

During last year's race to determine the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney was accused of being an Etch A Sketch candidate by his rivals including former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (pictured)

VIDEO Everything you wanted to know about how an Etch A Sketch works











