#andre cassagnes

[princessetchasketch]

Today would be the 91st birthday of André Cassaagnes, the inventor of the Etch A Sketch. André passed away in 2013. He was also a well-known kitemaker. I owe so much to this man who understood the value of play. My career is thanks to him, but it's so much more than that. His toy inspired me to create in my youth, and helped me to become the artist that I am today. May he rest in peace

[fvp]

The creator of Etch A Sketch gets his own treatment. Concept and animation by Christoph Niemann

[tendermorsels]

[bagelshummus]

RIP Andre Cassagnes. And thanks for the many many hours of fun.

[leanoticias]

Murió el creador de la pizarra mágica

http://www.leanoticias.com/2013/02/04/murio-el-creador-de-la-pizarra-magica/

Murió el creador de la pizarra mágica

El francés Andre Cassagnes inventó en 1959 un juguete que perduraría en el imaginario colectivo por décadas tras su debut comercial en 1960: La Pantalla mágica, o Etch-a-sketch. Un juguete que consistía en una pantalla de vidrio de tonalidades grises porque cuyo reverso tenía polvo de aluminio, el que al ser raspado por un lápiz móvil dejaba una línea oscura en la pantalla.

De ésta forma, un niño (o adulto) podía dibujar lo que quisiera ya que el lápiz estaba controlado por dos perillas que servían para moverlo en el sentido horizontal o vertical. Para limpiar la pantalla, bastaba con sacudir un poco al juguete.

Recientemente se informó que Andre Cassagnes murió en un suburbio parisino el 16 de enero del 2013 a sus 86 años de edad. El presidente de Ohio Art Company, la empresa que manufactura la Pantalla mágica, Larry Killgallon, afirmó que “su invención le trajo mucha alegría al mundo durante largos períodos de tiempo”.

Además de su reconocida invención, Cassagnes también tenía una gran reputación en el circuito de quienes se dedican competitivamente a elevar cometas (kiting), donde fue reconocido como el diseñador de cometas competitivos más exitoso en Francia durante la década de los ’80.

[Fuente]

[obitoftheday]

Obit of the Day: Inventor of the Etch-a-Sketch

Andre Cassagnes wasn't a toy designer. He was an electrician in Paris. One day while installing a light plate, he removed a decal on the item. He wrote himself a note on the decal and realized that as he did so his note appeared on the other side as well. From this a toy idea was born.

Mr. Cassagnes designed the L'Ecran Magique (The Magic Screen) that was made using glass, aluminum powder, a stylus, and a joystick. He was able to connect with Henry Simon Winzeler at the International Toy Fair in Nuremburg, Germany.

Mr. Winzeler owned the Ohio Art Company, which sold picture frames, engravings, and lithographs. What it did not sell was toys. But Mr. Winzeler was so taken with Mr. Cassagnes idea that he licensed the toy for $25,000 and sent Mr. Cassagnes to Ohio to perfect the design with Ohio Art's engineers.

The first Etch-a-Sketch was manufactured in July 1960. By Christmas 1960 it was the number one selling toy in the United States. In 1998, the Etch-a-Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in the first class along with LEGO, Play-Doh, and Barbie.

Mr. Cassagnes, who would become a full-time toy designer and was considered the premiere kite-maker in France, died on January 16, 2013 at the age of 86.

Sources: MSN News, The Ohio Art Company, The National Toy Hall of Fame , How Stuff Works 

(Image of a 1960 ad for Etch-a-Sketch is courtesy of The Invisible Agent)

h/t to waterman12053

[shortformblog]

Etch A Sketch inventor dies: Andre Cassagnes, the man who came up with the idea of a drawing tool that may have been the analog manifestation of the iPad, has died at the age of 86 in his native France. The electrician came up with the idea, which involves two small joysticks, aluminum powder and a scraping mechanism, in 1950 — a product which the Ohio Art Company still sells today, and occasionally gets a little pop-culture recognition. “Etch A Sketch has brought much success to the Ohio Art Company, and we will be eternally grateful to Andre for that,” Larry Killgallon, the company's president, said in a statement. “His invention brought joy to so many over such a long period of time.” You brought the nine-year-old version of me a lot of fun, Andre. Thanks. (ht @margafret; photo by bionicteaching/Flickr)