Etch a Sketch Creator Dies

It’s hard to compete with today’s technologically advanced toy market, but the Etch a Sketch has never lost its singular appeal. André Cassagnes, ingenious creator of the iconic red mechanical drawing toy—”the world’s first laptop” on which generations of children drew on, shook up, and started over—has died at the age of 86. The toy’s manufacturer said Cassagnes, an electrical technician who developed the magnetic idea in the late ’50s, died in Paris on January 16, though cause of death has not yet been disclosed.