June 13, 2000

7:49 PM

The man who came up with the Etch-A-Sketch died. So sad. *shake* *shake* *shake* Gone, but not forgotten.
posted by mathowie (9 comments total)

how sad. *chuckle*

how did he come up with a name like 'etch-a-sketch' anyway?
methinks they should have stuck with DoodleMaster Magic Screen.
posted by y0bhgu0d at 7:54 PM on June 13, 2000

Ah, yes, the Etch-a-Sketch... the original inspiration for my website (currently in upside-down and shaking mode)
posted by wendell at 8:19 PM on June 13, 2000

Naah. Etch-a-Sketch rocked. It was the perfect name for the contraption. I had hours of fun totally failing to draw anything with it.

Goodbye, Mister Killgallen. You will live on in our hearts for as long as little children are driven mad trying to get the damn line to curve.
posted by Ezrael at 8:21 PM on June 13, 2000

I once had to spend a summer with some relatives in the middle of nowhere. Pretty much all I had to entertain myself with was an old Etch-a-Sketch. I became manic, everyday I would clear the entire screen 1 pixel at a time, trawling the screen first vertically, then horizontally until there was not a bit of silver left. I would do this several times a day. I freaking timed myself and tried to beat my record. I moved on to circles. I swear I once drew one so perfect you would not believe it. I did portraits, not as good as some I have seen in the last few years, but good enough to confuse people who saw them and had no idea a Etch-a-Sketch could be used to make anything other than squiggles. A frightning waste of time, but I learned patience and focus that serve me well. So I too thank the man for his scary toy.
posted by thirteen at 8:35 PM on June 13, 2000

Take a look at the artwork of George Vlosich III.
posted by Dean_Paxton at 11:07 PM on June 13, 2000

I believe that Etch-A-Sketch was the fore-runner to Game Boy. Think about it.
posted by Almac at 3:59 AM on June 14, 2000

My favorite Dilbert cartoon:

PHB: How do I reboot this notebook computer?

Dilbert: Hold it upside down and sake it.

exeunt PHB

Dilbert: He still doesn't realize that we only gave him an Etch-a-Sketch.
posted by harmful at 6:19 AM on June 14, 2000

I could never draw anything on those ....I tried for ages and just a bunch of squiggly lines. :*(
posted by FAB4GIRL at 12:24 PM on June 14, 2000

My mind keeps coming back to an image of his pallbearers turning the coffin over and shaking it before they lower it...


I'm so-o-o-o sorry.
posted by wendell at 2:31 PM on June 14, 2000