SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Etch A Sketch! | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[bell]. [music]. >> Hey everyone, it's time for our episode. on Etch A Sketch, the little tablet that. you could draw on using two dials for. some reason, and then when you made a. masterpiece, you'd shake it up and start. over again. Or if you were a real jerk, you could shake up someone else's. masterpiece when they weren't ready to. shake it up yet. This is a good one. I. guess all of our toy episodes were good. ones, so that goes without saying, but. it is a good one.

Welcome to [music] Stuff You Should Know. from howstuffworks.com. >> [music]. >> Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm. Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck. Bryant, and there's Jerry. uh the delicious dish rolling. >> [laughter]. >> And this is Stuff You Should Know, the. vintage nostalgia edition that [music]. went off to China and then got sold to a.

different company edition. So, do you want to I I have a rough list. of. classic toys we've covered. You want to hear it? >> Oh, lay it on me, Chuck. >> I've missed something. But it did help me think of some more. that we should do. Uh Slinky? We did Slinky? Oh, yeah, we did Slinky. Okay, yeah. Uh Lego? Oh, yeah, of course. Barbie? Sure. Her boyfriend G.I. Joe? Yeah, that was a good one. Sorry, a. minute. Wait a minute, I'm sorry. Did we. do specifically do a G.I. Joe one or an.

action figures one? I think both. We definitely did action. figures. Although, maybe not. Okay, go ahead. I'll I'll I'll. cross-check that. Hot Wheels? So, so. this is a made-up list is what you're. saying. Hot Wheels? Yeah, I'm glad you didn't you didn't. call it Hot Wheels. Uh Easy Bake Oven? Mhm. Uh Play-Doh? >> [snorts]. >> Silly Putty? All right. Do you count boomerangs? Uh sure. Do you count Monopoly?

Yeah. Yo-yos? Of course. Hula Hoops? I would I knew Hula Hoops was after. yo-yos. I just knew it. >> Uh Teddy Ruxpin, we we covered him in. our Christmas show this year. Oh, yeah, that's a deep cut right there. >> And then I that's all I have, but um I. could have sworn we did on Frisbees, but. I I cannot find it. I Yeah, I feel like we did Frisbees, too, cuz I think we talked about like. Frolf or something at some point. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it's out there and I.

just didn't or maybe it's under flying. disc or something. Oh, that's possible. Uh but yeah. We made that joke about it calling it a. novelty flying disc cuz Frisbee, like. used to sue everybody who called. anything else a Frisbee. Maybe. I'll. have to look, but that there's probably. more out there, but that's a solid, you. know, 12 or 13. That's pretty good. Which leads us to Etch A Sketch. Yes, one of the 100 top 100 toys of the. century according to um.

I want to say not the toy Hall of Fame, it's just in the toy Hall of Fame. I. think it was according to some. snot-nosed kid who makes lists online. All right. Uh. this is the 100 best toys of the. century. This is the 100 best guitar. solos of the '70s. >> [laughter]. >> Oh, man, I'd love to do a show on that. That would be pretty cool. I can't. remember who named that that who made. that list, but it's a high honor. It's a. high accolade even if we can't remember. who came up with it. Like the Etch A.

Sketch, it's a ubiquitous toy. Everybody. knows what an Etch A Sketch is. Unless. you go to France, and then they'll say, "Oh, you mean le cran magique.". And you you might say like, "Well, why would they have anything to say. about the Etch A Sketch in France?". Turns out, buddy, the Etch A Sketch is actually French in. origin. Did you know that before this? I. did not. I didn't, either. Cuz it seems like. super American, you know, it looks like. a TV. and just feels like pure Americana.

So, when I realized it had some French. stank on it, uh. my dreams were dashed. You're like, "It smells like champagne. and cheese, which is kind of pleasant.". No, I didn't really care. I thought it. was I thought it was great. Sketch, erase, and sketch again. uh the the logline that will forever be. tied to this really interesting little. toy, and um. I I can't remember who it is in this. article, but they were interviewing. different folks. I think it was someone. from the company Mhm. commented that I.

totally agree that like it's amazing. that today. in in the digital world and Bluetooth. and Wi-Fi and video gaming as it is, that this little um low-fi toy that. doesn't even have batteries in it, much. less hook up to the internet, is still like super popular and still. has a little bit of mystique. And I. agree with him, and I think the reason. why, one of them, is like. you look at it and you're still kind of. like, "How does this thing work?".

Right. Well, we're going to ruin that mystique. for everybody cuz we're going to explain. how it works actually in this episode. [laughter]. That's right. >> But hopefully it won't affect Etch A. Sketch sales cuz we love Etch A Sketch, you know? All right, should we go to. France? We will go to France sometime. It's. apparently not clear whether it was 1955. or 1956, but in a little town called. Vitry-sur-Seine, which means Vitry on the Seine River, there was a company called um.

Oh, what was the name of the company, Chuck? Uh. Lincrusta company. Right. >> Terrible name. It is a terrible name, but the reason. they called themselves that is because. Lincrusta is a type of wall covering. that was really popular in the 19th and. early 20th centuries. You know, like. have you ever been into an old creepy. abandoned house and like the walls are. covered in what looks like dimpled tin. with like some weird patterns to it or. whatever? Mhm.

No, but keep going. >> [laughter]. >> Okay. So, where if you you could rub. your hand over it, it's very much it's. like heavily embossed. >> Okay. Sometimes it's painted, and it's. it just imagine that is like wainscoting. in the house. That is Lincrusta. And so, that is one of the two things that this. company made in the '50s, Lincrusta wall. coverings and artificial leather. That is really neither here nor there, but I could I was with you. I was like, "What kind of a name is that for a. company?" I looked it up, and they just.

It basically be like if you and I called. our podcast podcast. because that's what we did was make. podcasts. >> Or called it Podcrust. Podcrusta. >> [laughter]. >> Just the name crust, anyway. I think I. know what you're talking about because I. have uh. uh we have a pie safe. that has that metal tin stuff, but it's. I've never seen it on a wall, but I bet. it's about the same thing. Virtually the same thing. >> Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so that's Lincrusta, and that's where this guy worked. His.

name was Andre Cassagnes. Cassagnes. [laughter]. I bet that's what you're going with. >> Well, if it's French, wouldn't it be uh. Casson? Is that G pronounced? Yeah, I think you just nailed it, actually. Andre Casson. Well, that's what we're going to call. him, and we have gone back in time. You. didn't know '55 or '56. I say we go to. '54 just to. play it safe, set up shop in France, and. maybe get some emails done. All right, for a couple years?

>> Sure, why not? We could use a break. Um cuz you know, podcaster burnouts are. a real thing. It really [laughter] is. As we've talked. about. >> dropping we're dropping like flies. Uh all right, so he's working in this. factory. It's north of Paris, and they are making these uh wall. coverings like you're talking about. And. he this is a little confusing how this. actually happens, if you ask me. Or at. least the way the the first article put. it, it's confusing. Oh, oh, you're leaving it to me by.

notice by your by your balls after that. >> Well, I mean. no, let's I'll I'll start it, but I just. still don't quite get it. He marked up. uh with pencil. on a uh see-through decal. So, like he. was putting on a electrical plate, um. like a light switch, and on that plate, like many things has like a little. see-through plastic that you peel off. Right. >> Um so, he was writing on that. He peeled. it off, but then that's where it loses me as to. exactly what magic took place.

So, okay, remember this is Lincrusta, and they make metal wall coverings, which means there's metal dust in the. air, metal shavings everywhere. >> Yeah, and he's just breathing that stuff. in. Right, all of them are. Um. what's crazy is the guy made it to that. ripe old age of 86 after breathing that. for years. But um so, there's there's. metal dust everywhere, including on this. electrical switch plate that he's. installing, and I guess the decal. against the plate. And I think what.

happened was when he marked on the decal. Uh-huh. and pulled the decal off, he'd. seen that he had disturbed the metal. shavings that were stuck to the. underside of the decal. Oh. Do you see what I mean? Yeah. >> he he had disturbed the shape So, so. there was like the whole decal is coated. in a a metal dust. He marks on it with a. pencil, and the impression that he makes. like gouges out lines on the backside of.

the decal. I know, it's really tough. It. was magic. Basically, this man witnessed. this. feat of magic that still cannot be. explained to this day, and that's where. he got his idea for the Etch A Sketch. Amazing. So, >> [snorts]. >> a big big moment. He has the that. literal light bulb that goes off of his. or I'm not literal, of course, light. bulb above his head. Although, you never. know. There may be been a light bulb in. that factory right above his head. Why.

not? Uh and he said, "All right, this is. uh. this this can be something.". He, however, did not have a lot of money. to uh sink into this weird idea. And so, he had to partner with somebody. with money. A man named Paul uh Chaze, c. h a z e, or maybe Chausse if he's. French. Oh, that's good. Uh and this guy had. some dough cuz he owned a plastic. injection molding company. And this is like early on. I wonder if. we could count that as a toy, the uh.

the the little plastic uh machines that. spit out little plastic guitars in. Chicago and at zoos. >> Oh, yes, yes. Mold-A-Rama. That would. definitely count. Yeah, that goes on the. list, yeah. So, he didn't It wasn't. Mold-A-Rama, but it was plastic. injection molding that this guy made his. money from. Uh and this is where things get a little. confusing historically because. uh. the man who his accountant, his name was. Arthur Grandjean. You are nailing the French today. Try to.

run, French people. You can't. Chuck is. pronouncing your words just beautifully. So, his accountant uh is actually given. credit a lot of times because he filed. the patent uh under uh his name, which. I'm curious about how that works. legally. Uh he So, he was Do you remember the. first time we did South by Southwest? And on the sign. it it had like somebody I can't remember.

whose name it was, but whoever had like. filed the application to get us into. South by Southwest, it said that like. that's who was performing in the room. that day. >> remember that at all. I think this is. the same basically the same thing where. as like the US government bureaucracy, the patent and um trademark office. basically said whoever's name is on. there, that is who is the patent holder. And since um Grandjean, who was the. accountant of Chaze, who was the partner. of Cassagne,

um. >> [laughter]. >> since he was the one who actually filled. out the application and paid for the. application for the patent, as far as. the government was concerned, he was the. the person who patented the Etch A. Sketch in the United States. Even though. Grandjean made no claim on it. whatsoever, immediately transferred the. title over to Chaze. He he's for for. decades everybody thought Arthur. Grandjean was the guy who invented the. Etch A Sketch. Interesting. All right, so that was July 23rd, 1959.

was when this patent was granted. And um. I guess we should just look at the the. little guy itself, the little TV-looking. that iconic red frame with the two. dials, uh which it didn't have initially. We'll. we'll get to that, but um the underside. of this screen here. has what's known in the patent as a. pulverulent material such as aluminum. powder. Is that French as well? I don't know. >> [laughter]. >> Uh and then to keep that from clumping. up, there are little tiny plastic beads.

And then uh the two knobs control um. again, from the patent, a movable. tracing stylus. Uh although initially it was a joystick, isn't that right? Yeah, yeah, basically like an Atari. Um. but it it served the same purpose and it. was it was um. held together the same way through an. intricate system of pulleys and gears. that that moved the stylus either upward. or downward. And then if you combine the. upward and downward together, you could. make diagonals and circles and stuff.

like that. But it's it if you it's. really tough to describe what's going on. in in an Etch A Sketch, but there's an a. HowStuffWorks article from years back. called Inside an Etch A Sketch, where. the people at HowStuffWorks like took. one apart and photographed it and. explained it step by step. And it really. becomes much simpler and ruins any bit. of magic there is to it when you see. inside an Etch A Sketch. But it's still. kind of wondrous, you know, like the. engineering you is like, "Wow, that's. pretty cool." Yeah, it's sort of like um. I mean, it's not a negative image, I I.

don't think, but what's going on when. you're moving those knobs, uh there's a stylus that's actually. removing like the screen is coated with. this powder. So, it's actually removing. powder, not adding something to the. screen. Yes, exactly. And of course, if. you want to uh get that away and start a. new picture, you just shake that thing. up and that recoats the screen once. again with that powder. Yeah. So, like you know how your TV. screen always has tons of dust on it no.

matter how often you dust it. Sure. So, that's because like that dust is. attracted electrostatically through an. electrical charge to the glass. That's. they they take advantage of that same. thing with the underside of the um Etch. A Sketch. And that aluminum dust, which. sticks to everything. Like it wants to. stick to the glass cuz I think it's. missing some electrons or something. And. then when you move the stylus through. it, you're just removing that that dust. like you said. It's not a negative. It's. the removal of dust. And that's an Etch.

A Sketch like at its at its core. And. what's interesting, Chuck, is. like that is how an Etch A Sketch today. works. That's how an Etch A Sketch. worked in 1962. Like the uh two meaning. like also. But that that that dude, Andre Cassagne, said, "This is how this. is going to work." And it's basically. the same thing. That's pretty awesome. Uh let's take a break. Yes. We're going. to come back and talk about uh coming. stateside right after this.

>> [music]. [music]. >> All right, so Chuck, so how did we agree. on his last name? I think I I'm. butchering it still. And I even took. years of French in high school. I think. he said casserole. All [laughter] right. Andre Casserole.

That seems it seems wrong. Yeah, I'm I'm. I'm still going to go with uh Cassagne. Okay, there you go. Andre Cassagne. Um. he knew he was onto something. Like this. guy was an electrician who was like, "Uh. this is a great idea. This is a. prototype I made. This is this is worth. something." So, he um and Cruz, I guess, funded a trip to the Nuremberg Toy Fair. um in 1959.

And uh it was there that Cassagne was. walking around saying, "Check this thing. out. It is yours for a mere $100,000.". Which at the time was. a lot of money. 100 or I think it was. $870,000. today. And that's what this guy wanted. for the for the right to produce this. Um and every toy maker at the place. said, "No." Including a little toy maker. called Ohio Art. Um everybody turned it. down. And Cassagne went home from the.

Toy Fair empty-handed. But he he didn't. give up. He still persisted, but that. was a a big strikeout for him right out. of the gate. Yeah, so Ohio Art eventually uh settles. on a number of 25 grand. for the rights to make this thing in the. United States. Uh it is. still called Le Cran Magique in France. because they had a a different licensing. deal over there from the from the. get-go. Um and Ohio Art company is pretty. interesting. It started Did you uh see.

that thing? Yeah, it is. Yeah, they started out in 1908, founded. by a man named a a dentist named Dr. Henry S. Winzeler. in Archbold, Ohio. He gets out of. dentistry because. he's like. "Hey, man, toys is the future. Toys is. the future.". >> "There's no future in teeth. In in a. decade no one in America's going to have. teeth. [laughter] It's just a a losing. trade to be in is dentistry.". Yeah, so he uh saw the way forward. He.

rented a um. a music hall, hired 15 women, and they. were making metal picture frames at. first to great great success. Mhm. Yeah, um so they they used. something called. lithography, which is a type of. printing. And I I think the metal refers. to like the medium that you're using to. print with, like the the like you carve. a picture out of metal and you put ink. on it and then you print on whatever you.

want. But they were printing onto metal. Like they had like these um picture. frames and pictures that were like a. huge seller of a cupid. It was a pair of. like oval plates, basically, but they. were metal printed printed pictures on. them of like a cupid hanging out and. then the same cupid sleeping. And it's. just kind of like whatever like these. days it seems kind of it's got a tinge. of old-timey creepiness. But in the. first half of the 20th century, there. were 50 million sets of those things.

sold in the United States, which is an. astounding amount. That's basically. every house in America had a pair of. this. And that really kind of made Ohio. Art like a a very viable business. But. they eventually got into things like. sand pails and little trucks and that. kind of thing. Anything that was printed. with metal before the time that plastic. toys came along, they were into. So, it. wasn't a huge leap into the Etch A. Sketch, but the Etch A Sketch was. definitely different than anything that. they'd ever kind of messed around with. before.

Did you know I've done metal. lithography? No. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah, it was one of our uh. in industrial arts, it was, you know, in. at least at my school each quarter you. did a different medium or whatever. And. uh. lithography was something we did one. quarter. What do you remember what you printed? Uh [gasps]. I'm trying to remember what I printed. It's funny I can remember that cuz we. also one quarter was uh screen printing. I remember the t-shirts. I did monkeys.

t-shirts. With like the see no evil, hear no evil. monkeys? No, the [clears throat] band. The Monkees. They're they're. >> [laughter]. >> They're uh logo with the guitar spelled. out as Monkees. Like, wow, did you draw it yourself? No, no, no, of course not. Um. but we did metal sheet lithography. I. don't remember all of the process, but. what I do remember was it essentially. was like burning. chemically burning images onto metal.

plates. And then that metal plate was used to. print. Okay. So so the metal in metal lithography. does. it talks about the metal press that. you're using to print with. Like at the end of there may be. different processes, but in my class we. would um. do this thing and apply this like uh. image with like this gel onto a metal. sheet and use this combination of. chemicals that would burn that into like.

make it part of the metal. And then all. of a sudden you would have a metal sheet. with a thing on it like a negative image. and then you would use that in the. printing process to print a positive. image. Right. And you could print use that to. print onto anything including other. metal, right? Well, hey man, that's where my knowledge. and again this is ninth grade me, so. I've I've forgotten a lot of things over. [clears throat] that time period. Right. >> And I'm sure I just butchered that, but. that's my one little dance with metal. lithography. Well, I'll tell you who. would be able to tell us exactly how you.

could um how metal lithography works. It's anybody who works at Ohio Art. because not only was that their bread. and butter before the Etch A Sketch, it. still is today actually. So. So Ohio Art like I guess gets in touch. with um. Andre Cassagnes and and either he got in. touch with them again or they got in. touch with him. I think it was the. latter of the two and said, "Hey, we. heard you're selling this for 100 grand. It's way too rich for our blood. How. about either 15,000 or 25,000 depending.

on who you ask in the future." And. Cassagnes is like, "What are you talking. about?" They're like, "Just take the. money." And so they either got it for. 15,000 or 25,000 which is still. substantial. I mean, it was like around. 100k or um. 200k something like that depending on. which one it was. And Cassagnes was. quite a happy man. There was a a story. where um the guy who was running the. show at Ohio Art and his wife went over. to meet Andre Cassagnes and just kind of. have like an initial meeting and like.

shake his hand and all that and buy the. license from them. And Cassagnes was like, "Welcome." and. had like this huge spread of baguettes. and champagne and everything at his. house which is pretty cute cuz he was. just like this humble guy who came up. with a really great idea for a toy and. was finally like selling it for a wad of. cash. Interesting. A little on the nose. What? The baguettes and champagne? Yeah, but you know, what are you going to do? Well, you win in France, right? So he is uh once he's on board with Ohio.

Art uh he gets together with their uh. chief engineer Jerry Burger. and says and Burger's like. "Listen here, Frenchy. You need to drop the joystick. It's all. knobs these days.". And he said, "What is a knob?" And he. was like, "Well, let me show you." And. he he introduced the idea of um. the same system like you were talking. about, but knobs instead of a joystick. to move that little line horizontal or. vertical or as you pointed out if you're.

really talented and you can master both. at once, you can actually do um rud-. well, if you're really good, you can do. very nice. curved lines. But I'm not very good at. >> Yeah. No, neither am I. I can make a a. line go up and a line go to the left or. right. >> Yeah, we'll we'll get to. >> even make it go down. [laughter]. We'll get to the art of it. Um maybe at. the end, but cuz there are some serious. artists out there doing some cool stuff. Uh but at any rate, Etch A Sketch it was.

rebranded as Etch A Sketch in the United. States. Ohio Art's producing them for. the 1960 holiday season. And they sold. about 600,000 of these um that year. which is a It's a lot. Yeah, and they sold it for a lot of. money too. They they um went for sale at. $2.99. a piece which is 2564. in today's money. Yeah. Um. it but I mean if you go buy an Etch A. Sketch today, it's between 10 and 15.

bucks. So that was a lot of money. especially to sell 600,000 of these. things. Especially if you were selling. like creepy. you know, metal wastebaskets with a an. unsettling clown painted on it or. printed on it like right before this. This is a huge It was It was a good move. by the people at Ohio Art to buy the. license to this thing in other words. And they say Chuck that it coincided. really perfectly with television. So. much so that that they believe like that. is one of the reasons why Jerry Burger.

was like, "You need knobs. This thing. needs to look like a TV set because. that's what's all the rage with the kids. right now.". Yeah, and he um. it was one of the first toys uh to. actually do a TV commercial. And so. it's 1960. and you're a a child watching First of. all, your mind is blown because you're. watching a television to begin with. It's [laughter] just like I can't. believe this. I can't believe what's. going on right now. >> Uh then a TV commercial comes on for a. toy. Uh and this toy has animation in it to.

where like they would Etch A Sketch a. little rocket ship and then that rocket. ship that rocket ship would animate and. take off. And this was like these kids. might have I mean, keep in mind kids in. 1960 were idiots, but they might as well. have been dosed with LSD. Mhm. >> You know? They just kept fainting over and over. again throughout the commercial because. they could not believe what they were. seeing. Mind's blown. >> And it's just it's just an Etch A. Sketch, you know?

>> [laughter]. >> Yeah, but it's genius. I love it. It is, but it really I think the the. point was though that like. the. taking advantage of the novelty of TV. and also now having a way like if you We. just tried to explain an Etch A Sketch. over a podcast. Prior to TV, if that. Etch A Sketch had come out during like. the Little Orphan Annie radio era, they. would have had to have done the same. thing. It wouldn't have landed quite as. well. The fact that a a kid could see. this happening on their TV screen was.

pretty awesome. And then also to say and. then you just shake it, turn it upside. down and shake it and coat the the um. glass screen again and your your drawing. is gone forever. Like to be able to see. that TV made the Etch A Sketch what it. was like for sure. It definitely ushered. it into a. um a position where it could become like. a a a cultural icon of nostalgia. Yeah, I mean, you know, they perfected. it by the time they started rolling off. in 1960. Um prior to that like any.

product like this, there was a lot of. R&D. Um one of the people who worked. there talked about the mountain of red. frames behind the factory while they. were trying to get it right. Um and it. was such a huge smash hit out of the. gate that uh as legend has it they were. manufacturing up until noon on Christmas. Eve just to get them to the West Coast. in time for Christmas morning. Yeah. That's pretty That's pretty cool. I mean, they really wanted those kids to. have those Etch A Sketches. They really. wanted that money.

>> [laughter]. >> Should we take another break? Yeah. All. right. We'll talk about some uh some. ways Etch A Sketches ebbed and flowed in. popularity in pop culture over the. years. Right for this. >> [music]. [music]. >> Chuck, I don't know if we said it or.

not, but from what I've seen more than. 175. million Etch A Sketches have been sold. since. 1960. And we should point out we're not. just like ticking off a list of pop. culture references. Like every time this. happened. uh Etch A Sketch sales would go up. Yeah, like the Mitt Romney one increased. sales like 30%. I guess everybody was like, "Oh, Etch A. Sketch. I forgot about that. I think. I'll go buy one right now." Well, they. actually branded after that um.

Republican and Democrat Etch A Sketches. though, didn't they? Yeah, so you could. buy a red one or a blue one, but both of. them came with a sticker which I'm I'm. assuming that they printed on their. metal lithography presses. >> [laughter]. >> of a donkey and an elephant like playing. tug-of-war on the front of the White. House lawn. Yeah, that's just crazy. It. is, but it's also that's smart, you. know? That's how you that's how you make. the the money. Um and then of course in the movie Toy. Story from Pixar. >> Mhm. uh there was um like one of the.

characters name was Etch and had the. fastest knobs in the West. >> Yeah. And that was uh that was always a. very fun uh character I think to see him. drawing things out really fast to. communicate. >> Yeah, and you know, you said something. earlier. You were you were talking about. how like despite the fact that it. doesn't even have batteries, it it's had. the staying power for you know, 50-something years almost 60 years it's. been around. Um and it's a really simple. thing that that the design hasn't. changed. And I think even more of a.

testimony to you know, the um the the. staying power of the Etch A Sketch is. the fact that they have tried stuff with. batteries and like like things that. connect to your computer over the years. and nothing has managed to improve on. the original Etch A Sketch. Like there. was do you remember the Etch A Sketch. animator? No. So I I I couldn't quite place it. either but I went and watched an old ad. It was big in the '80s and it was. basically like an Etch A Sketch but.

there was nothing mechanical about it. It was digital. You're creating like a. bitmap digital picture. And um. then you'd press like I guess play or. something like that and it would just. kind of run it um like a flip book over. and over again. So your Etch A Sketch. drawing like came to life. But kids were. like, "Nah, I'd rather have the original. Etch A Sketch because the Etch A Sketch. animator went away and the Etch A Sketch. is still available today. Yeah, I mean there've been um. other variations. They had the Doodle.

Sketch. Um the the plug-and-play. >> Mhm. Which this sounds like a bad idea. A. plug-and-play allows you to draw on the. TV screen. That's just asking for trouble as a. parent. >> Sure. Um. and then the mobile app which I've been. playing with today. Oh, how's it going? Well, I mean what do you think of this. picture? Oh, that's it's not bad. It. looks kind of Etch A Sketchy, you know? Yeah, so what you can do is it's kind of. fun. Um you can you can upload or take a. photo um on your smartphone.

plug it into the app. >> Mhm. and then it will instantly etchify. it. And what I've learned is that it's. um. the the more basic like a picture of. your face works much better than. something with a lot of stuff in the. background. Uh but it's fun. Right. Yeah, you know I. like it. I I was reading reviews of the. app. I didn't try it myself like you but. >> [laughter]. >> it's uh it it did say like if it's a. basic picture it'll look way more Etch A. Sketchy. Yeah, so my official review is.

eh not bad. >> So three stars out of six? Sure. I mean for something that. downloaded in 30 seconds and was free, I'm going to give it a a a half a thumb. up. >> There you go. >> [laughter]. >> So um. one of the things that uh that has kind. of kept Etch A Sketch alive for like the. younger kids if I read this article. about um. Etch A Sketch and it was right before. they sold. So a lot of people don't know. Ohio Art doesn't make Etch A Sketch. anymore. They sold it to a brand called. Spin Master. And I didn't I didn't see.

that. Yeah, it's not it's not Ohio Art. Ohio Art said we're going back to metal. lithography and that's what they did. So. they sold Etch A Sketch off to Spin. Master. Spin Master is like that's fine. with us, baby. Thanks for all these. licenses. Um I mean of an Etch A Sketch or Frozen. branded Etch A Sketches it's might as. well just be like a a printing press for. money, right? Yeah. So it was probably a. pretty good buy for Spin Master and Ohio. Art was like this thing is it was great. It was a good run while it lasted but. they also had to oversee it through some.

really dark times because um. well, for one thing. the like Etch. isn't landing with the millennials I get. the impression like it used to um with. the baby boomers. That was one thing um and Ohio Art also. almost went bankrupt because of it uh. back in like 2001. They managed to get. some more money back into the business. and and stay afloat but part of that. also was they had to send the um. manufacturing of the Etch off to China.

which they were really unhappy about cuz. they lost like 35 jobs in tiny little. Bryan, Ohio. But eventually like 15. years later they said, "You know what? We're getting out of the Etch business. and sold it off to Spin Master. Which is a weird name. But the but the. one of the things it's a little weird. Ohio Art's a little weird, too. You. don't associate Ohio with art, you know? Oh. Uh-oh. >> You just don't. I'll say it again. Tell. that to Chrissie Hynde and the Black. Keys. >> No, Chrissie Hynde gets what I'm saying.

for sure. Um so uh the thing the one of the things. though that is keeping Etch relevant the. the reason why like if you walk up to. like a 17-year-old and say, "What do you. think about Etch They say, "Oh yeah, I've heard of that." Because every once. in a while you'll see on um the the. internet a photo or two of somebody who. is really really good at Etch. and it just kind of makes the rounds on. social media. Yeah, I mean everything. from like the Mona Lisa to just like. portraits of people to landscapes.

Uh what's really fun is you can go on. YouTube and look at time lapse. um renderings Etch renderings which when. you're seeing it done super fast like. that. you kind of think like. I I I feel like I could do that but you. really have to be a. a master with those knobs. Like um what. I found is. the thing you really need to master to. do everything. um that you want to do is being able to. retrace well because as everyone knows. it's not like a pencil. You can't pick.

it up off the paper and start somewhere. else. >> Right. You have to if you want to go somewhere. else, you have to retrace. as closely to that original line as you. can all the way back to that point that. you want to be at. >> Mhm. or else it's just going to look. like something. your that I did which looks like. something a toddler did. >> Yeah, and I mean like that's a it's a. really good point. When you're making a. good Etch drawing, it is all one single. line. It's frequently doubled back over. and Etch artist will use like that. frame. They'll create a line frame.

around the edges that they can travel. back out to and move around the picture. like that. Pretty brilliant. >> Yeah, there's a guy named um George. Vlosich the third who's known for some. pretty amazing portraits of Muhammad. Ali, Barack Obama, LeBron James. There's. a uh an artist named Jane Labowitch or. Labovich maybe. She calls herself. Princess Etch. She's done some amazing like. architectural detail with it. And then. there's a guy named Ryan Burton who does. erotic Simpsons art. There you go.

>> With the Etch and all three of them are. like. >> [laughter]. >> really good at the Etch drawings. Yeah, the fan fic of uh Etch. artists. >> Mhm. Interesting. >> And then apparently if you when you're. very satisfied with your Etch. and you don't want anything to happen to. it, you drill a hole in the back and get. the aluminum powder out and then you. lock the knobs to keep them from being. turned. Then you have an Etch. masterpiece that you can hang in a. museum. Oh, so that makes it permanent? >> Yeah.

So when the little uh so when a kid. comes in the museum and rips it off the. wall and shakes it, nothing happens. No. No, and I think by law you're allowed to. pick up that kid and shake it. Yes, I. think [laughter] so. As long as it's not. a baby. Don't shake a baby. >> Right. No, never shake a baby. Come on. Yeah. I would never advocate shaking a. baby, everybody. I just want to go on. record as saying that. There was uh you. know the comedian Nate Bargatze? No. He. has a he's great. He's got a very funny. bit about shaking babies. >> Oh yeah? >> [laughter]. >> Believe it or not. >> a lot to turn that into something funny.

Yeah, he he did it, man. Good for him. Nate Nate Bargatze, huh? Nate Bargatze, dude. You would love him. He's great. >> So Nate Bargatze has become a cultural. icon cuz we did not see him coming up in. this episode. That's right. Uh well, if. you want to know more about Nate. Bargatze, you should go check him out on. the internet like I'm going to. And uh. since I said Nate Bargatze, it's time. for listener mail. Man, I hope someone tells Nate we're. plugging him. Plug I'm plugging away. Plugging Nate. Uh all right here. I'm.

going to mention uh this is about Jerry. and her eating. And this is from Kim Cooper. Did you see. this, Jerry? She says no. Uh hey guys, I. notice that you often mention what Jerry. is eating a lot [music]. during the podcast. >> A lot. I don't know how close to you she. uh how close she is to your microphones. Well, I'll go ahead and say that from. your side over there she's about 5 ft. >> I like all I have to do is lean in my. seat a little bit and I can touch. Jerry's miso soup. That's right. You. could dip your thumb in her soup. >> I threaten to.

Uh I don't know how close she is to your. microphones but I never hear her eating. uh which is good for your fans with. misophonia. But I'm curious why she. chooses. this time to eat. >> Mhm. Uh do you guys spend all day podcasting? Is that the only time she can fit it in? No. No. Uh silly question that popped into my. head listening to this week uh this week. after Josh said, "And there's Jerry. eating God knows what.". >> Mhm. Um anyway, guys, she's got me interested. in trying miso. Uh tell her she's doing.

a great job [music] cuz I don't know. um because I know she doesn't get too. many shout-outs. And uh Josh and Chuck, you guys are pretty great, too. That is. from Kim Cooper. >> Thanks, Kim. That's funny. She went all. the way around to just basically say, "I. guess what I'm trying to say is I've. always wanted to try miso.". Yeah, pretty much. >> Well, go try some miso, Kim. I mean you. can buy it at like any grocery store. Just go get a tub of it. Get a big old. try your first spoonful and go from. there. I do you ever eat just miso paste?

No. >> If you're craving something salty and. savory and umami, let's just say um it's. good. But you can't you can't eat very. much of it. I'm just teasing Kim like. a spoonful is a lot of miso paste. Okay. What do what do you just add that to? Is. it an ingredient? Mhm. Yeah, for like. soups and miso soups and stuff like. that. Yeah. But you can just eat the. paste. Okay. And live to tell about it. I'm I'm proof. >> [laughter]. >> Well, if you want to get in touch with. us to talk about Jerry, we're always. fine with that. Um you can go to stuff.

you should know.com [music] find out all. of our social links. And you can always. send us an email. Attention, everybody. We have a new email address. Wowee wow. >> Wow woo. It is. stuffpodcast@iheartpodcastnetwork.com. How about that? For more on this and thousands of other. topics, visit howstuffworks.com. >> [music].