Make Your Own Etch A Sketch

We've covered the Etch A Sketch toy many times before -- for instance, when Mitt Romney used one on the campaign trail, when incredible portraits were made, and when our resident explainmaestro Matt Soniak told us how an Etch A Sketch works. But now I bring you the geeky supreme -- the first video from MAKE: Inventions, in which Steve Hoefer talks Etch A Sketch history, and then builds his very own based on a review of the original patent. I'm not saying this is easy, but for a skilled maker it's possible!

Got five minutes for a little Etch A Sketch history, and to see what's behind the screen? Tune in and enjoy (but don't shake your monitor or it'll all go blank):

A Few Etch A Sketch Commercials

I love old TV commercials. Here's one from 1960-ish advertising the Etch A Sketch and Magnastiks:

To see how much advertising had changed by 1973, check out this commercial. Sadly, embedding is disabled. It's 70s-riffic.

(Via 22 Words.)