André Cassagnes has died in Paris at 86 years of age. His toy was one of the most iconic of the 20th century.

THE man behind one of the most iconic children's toys of the '80s and '90s has died, aged 86.

Andre` Cassagnes - inventor of the Etch A Sketch - the toy which let you draw on a plastic slate using two twisting knobs passed away in Paris on the 16th of January, US toy manufacturer, Ohia Art announced today.

"Etch A Sketch has brought much success to the Ohio Art Company, and we will be eternally grateful to Andre for that. His invention brought joy to so many over such a long period of time," said Larry Killgallon, president of Ohio Art.

For those who don't remember, the Etch A Sketch worked by allowing users to sketch images by turning the white knobs on either side of the slate, encased in its signature red plastic. But the device only let you draw in straight lines, so making it bend to the will of whatever it was you wanted to draw was quite a skill. The good news was that if you weren't pleased with your creation, you just shook the slate clean and the drawing would disappear, allowing users to start over. It was also became the tool of jealous brothers and sisters who made their siblings' drawings vanish before they had a chance to boast about it.

The Parisian engineer, born in 1926 was first inspired to create the Etch A Sketch during the '50s after peeling a translucent sticker off of a light switch plate and found pencil markings transferred onto the opposite face, according to the Toy Industry Association.

Ohio Art snapped up the toy after Cassagnes put it on display at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1959.

More than 100 million Etch A Sketch, each with their own trademark red frame and white knobs , sold worldwide.

In fact the toy was so popular that it was inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998 and The American Toy Industry Association named it as one of the 100 most memorable toys of the 20th century.

People of all ages have taken to social media to mourn the loss of the inventor whose toy chewed up so many days of their young lives.



Upon hearing of the news, Jennie Knight wrote: "That is a lovely ode...Sketch in peace", on News.com.au's Facebook page.

We couldn't think of a more fitting tribute.

One Twitter user, @STOTLE wrote: "Now that he's dead, the inventor of the Etch A Sketch is currently sketching the most uneven stairway to heaven."

"Shaken by news of the death of the inventor of the Etch-a-Sketch," wrote Radio National science journalist, Joel Werner wrote on Twitter.

Yahoo!7 journalist, Rob Stott tweeted: "The inventor of the etch-a-sketch has died. He'll be buried the way he lived, next to a tangled slinky and a GI Joe."

Twitter user @GuyEndoreKaiser wrote: "The inventor of the Etch A Sketch has died at 86. According to well wishes, he will be cremated and then vigorously shaken until he disappears."

US comedian, Tom Shillue honoured the French inventor by drawing a portrait of the Cassagnes on the Etch A Sketch which he invented, along with the numbers 1926-2013.

"I honor Andre Cassagnes, the inventor of the Etch A Sketch,"[sic] he tweeted this afternoon.

It is unknown at this point where Cassagnes will be buried, but it is hoped that an Etch A Sketch will be embedded in his gravestone so people can leave their heartfelt wishes where he rests, only to be shook clean by the next person to visit him.

