Ohio Art Sells Etch a Sketch

Etch-a-Sketch

Ohio Art sold off its Etch a Sketch division to the Canadian toy firm, Spin Master Corp., after shepherding the toy to great heights in American pop-culture. The company purchased the rights to the Etch a Sketch for $25,000 after seeing it at a 1959 toy fair in Germany. It changed the name, and began advertising it on TV. The Etch a Sketch soon became one of the hottest toys in American history.

While a spokesperson for the company called the sale "bittersweet," Ohio Art is a lithography company, and will focus on that - although it has not ended its toy line, entirely. Manufacturing of the Etch-a-Sketch line of toys was moved to China years ago. The Etch-a-Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998.

© The Weirding, 2016