BRYAN, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio company that has produced or owned the Etch A Sketch for decades has sold the classic toy to a toy firm in Toronto.
Bryan-based Ohio Art Co. sold the Etch A Sketch and the spinoff Doodle Sketch to Spin Master Corp. for an undisclosed price. The Blade in Toledo (http://bit.ly/1RvGIyr ) reports Ohio Art announced the surprise move Thursday.
Its president, Martin Killgallon, says handing over the iconic toy is bittersweet but was done in consideration of the business's long-term future. The company plans to focus more on metal lithography, the craft on which it was founded over a century ago.
The Etch A Sketch was created by a French inventor. The brand was produced or owned by Ohio Art since 1960, when it bought the rights for $25,000.