Invented in the 1950s by André Cassagnes, Etch A Sketch has become one of the most popular toys of all time, with more than 100 million units sold worldwide. Taken to the 1959 Nuremberg International Toy Fair, Cassagnes’ design didn’t get much attention from the big manufacturers because they thought he was asking too much money for the patent. Even so, the Ohio Art Company decided to negotiate and paid $15,000 of the $100,000 requested for the project. In 1998, she was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame.
– (Denis Freitas/)
1. Inside the toy is a mixture of aluminum powder and polystyrene balls. This powder adheres to the glass screen, making it look smoky. The drawing is done by creating lines in the dust, i.e. wiping the glass
– (Denis Freitas/)
two. The buttons are connected to pulleys that, when turned, move cables that, in turn, move metal rods. At the meeting of the two rods is a Stylus pen (that is, a rubber tip) that touches the glass and makes the powder unglue, forming the drawing. Each button controls an axis (vertical or horizontal) and the entire area of the whiteboard is drawable
– (Denis Freitas/)
3. To erase the drawing, you just need to turn the screen face down. The movement causes the polystyrene balls to throw the aluminum powder back onto the glass, adhering to it again.
Reader suggestion Gabrielle Gonçalves Carvalho, Jundiaí, SP
SOURCES How Stuff WorksMental FlossTerra