Etch-A-Sketch Inventor Andre Cassagnes Dies In France
February 4, 2013 9:00 PM Andre Cassagnes died on January 16th in a Paris suburb. His name is not immediately known by most of us, but his invention, the Etch A Sketch, is one of the most iconic toys of the last 50 years – a staple of the Ohio Art Company. Cassagnes, a French electrician, came up with the idea in 1950 after peeling a decal off of a light switch plate and noticing the graphite stuck to the plastic surface of the plate that was easily marked with a pencil. The first prototype was little more than a joystick, glass and some aluminum powder and made it’s debut at a toy fair in Nuremburg, Germany in 1959 under the name L ‘Ecran Magique or ‘Magic Screen’.
It immediately got the attention of American Henry Winzeler, who was the founder and president of the Ohio Art Company, who licensed the invention and introduced it as the Etch-A-Sketch in the U.S. in 1960. They did replace the joystick with the two white knobs on either side to look more like a television.
It is very difficult to imagine our world without the Etch-A-Sketch, which brought so much joy to so many children over the years. I am not an artist and had trouble drawing anything significant with the toy, but I sure spent many hours trying to figure it out.
The toy all but faded from view in recent years thanks to video games, but enjoyed a tremendous resurgence after appearing in the first two ‘Toy Story’ movies. It gained even more popularity last year when an aide to Mitt Romney likened his campaign strategy to erasing an Etch-A-Sketch. Thank you Mr. Cassagnes, may you rest in peace. Below is a video about how the Etch A Sketch works.
What Would It Sound Like To Re-Enact Your Conversations With a 2-Year-Old With Another Adult Man?
May 23, 2013 8:00 PM Every dad knows what it's like to have a conversation with their toddler. Imagine if you will, re-enacting that conversation with another adult man playing the part of your 2-year-old daughter for example. The conversation would be the same, but the dynamic is totally different. One YouTube user decided to do that very thing.
Nashville Season One Review – Drama Galore
May 23, 2013 6:00 PM If you enjoy twists and turns of a police drama and a sexy soap with all the fun of the country music business, then you should be watching Nashville on ABC. The show wrapped its first season last night and it's been announced they're back for a second in the fall. That's good because what a cliff hanger...or hangers actually.
Country Whuppin’ – Jon Pardi Vs. Lauren Alaina
May 23, 2013 3:22 PM Jon Pardi is one win away from the Country Whuppin' Hall of Fame! To make that happen, he'll have to beat someone who's made it there twice. Let's see if the Pardianimals can hold off Lauren Alaina's new single in today's Whuppin'!
Indiana Budget Allocates More Money for Workforce Development Program
May 23, 2013 11:47 AM Indiana plans to invest more money in the state’s “WorkIN Indiana” program, as a recent peek at the new budget indicates that about $5 million will be allocated to help support things like job training, career certifications and high school equivalency degrees.
Kmart Introduces New Big Gas Savings Commercial [VIDEO]
May 23, 2013 10:53 AM From the store that brought you the controversial yet very funny, 'Ship My Pants' ad, we now have another spot that will force you to listen closely.
11 Diving Fails to Prep You for Summer
Memorial Day is coming up soon, which means the beginning of swimming season is quickly approaching. This also means plenty of painful belly flops, fully-clothed people falling into pools and our latest hilarious discovery, diving fails.
Toby Keith Heads Home to Oklahoma, Surveys Damage From Deadly Tornado
Toby Keith only recently got back into the United States after his latest USO tour, and was actually in Moore, Oklahoma right before the deadly tornado struck on Monday (May 20), but left for Nashville to record new music just hours before it touched down. When he heard about the wreckage and devastation the storm caused, he returned to his hometown the next day, ready to help and assess the damage.
Blake Shelton and NBC Organizing Benefit Concert for Oklahoma Tornado Victims
Country star and 'The Voice' coach Blake Shelton is teaming with NBC to organize a benefit for victims who were struck by the deadly tornado that devastated his home state of Oklahoma on Monday (May 20) -- and he's calling on some famous friends to help out.
Major National Anthem Flub Before Hockey Game
May 22, 2013 11:55 PM The national Anthem is one of the toughest songs to sing that there is. There have been some great versions and some really bad versions over the years - Rosanne - just sayin'. We had some great versions at the Ford Center during the recent Icemen season and just the other night, a little boy did a killer version of the anthem before the Otters game at Bosse Field that was awesome... but sometimes.
How Do You Pronounce GIF? The Creator Says We’re All Wrong Because It’s Pronounced ‘JIF’
May 22, 2013 8:00 PM There are hundreds and thousands of formats in today's computer world, but the GIF format stands alone and was even named the "word of the year" in 2012. GIF stands for 'Graphic Interchange Format'...whatever the heck that means, but it has changed computer animation as we know it. It has always been pronounced with a hard "g", like gift and apparently, that is absolutely WRONG...who knew?