Margaret Harwell / The Daily American Republic
In this June 26, 2008 file photo, an Etch-A-Sketch drawing made by artist Andy Kingston depicts a rural farm scene in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Ohio Art Co. sold the Etch A Sketch and the spinoff Doodle Sketch to Spin Master Corp. for an undisclosed price to a toy firm in Toronto. Ohio Art announced the surprise move Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. 
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 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.
Associated Press
