On July 12, 1960, the Etch A Sketch was introduced to the American market. The retail price at launch was just under $3.
French inventor André Cassagnes first envisioned the toy while working as a factory electrician, noticing how fine aluminum powder naturally clung to glass via electrostatic charge. Lacking the funds to fully develop his idea, he partnered with an investor to bring the prototype to the Ohio Art Company.
Renamed the Etch A Sketch, the toy became an overnight sensation for the holiday shopping season. Production demands grew so intense that factory lines in Ohio ran 24 hours a day to ensure millions of children would find the magic screen under their Christmas trees.
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