Invented in Paris in the late 1950s, the mechanical drawing toy
that would eventually be marketed as "the world's first laptop"
became wildly popular soon after an Ohio company introduced it
under a new name: Etch A Sketch. French electrician Andre
Cassagnes stumbled upon the concept for what he called the
"Telecran" — or telescreen — while peeling a decal from a switch
plate and noticing how his pencil marks had transferred from one
surface to another. After an Ohio Art Co. executive discovered
it at the 1959 Nuremberg Toy Fair, he bought the rights for
$25,000 and launched it in time to become the best-selling toy
of the 1960 holiday season. Cassagnes, who was also a noted kite
designer, died Jan. 16 in a Paris suburb, the Toy Industry Assn.
announced. A cause was not given. He was 86. Named one of the
top 100 toys of the 20th century by the New York-based toy
association, Etch A Sketch appears on the list with such other
classics as the Duncan yo-yo, the Barbie doll, Silly Putty and
Mr. Potato Head. The dr