Originally a picture-frame manufacturing business in 1908, Ohio Art Company took risks, diversified, and flourished thanks in part to the success of the now-iconic Etch A Sketch.
Picturesque Origins
Founded in 1908 by dentist, Henry Winzeler, in Archbold, Ohio.
Winzeler’s intention was to produce metal picture frames featuring images of cupids, still-life illustrations, and landscapes.
Playing Around
Just a few years after opening, the company purchased equipment to print lithographic images on metal. This paved the way for expansion into toys, including tin wagons, toy baby carriages, spinning tops, games, and toy drums.
During World War I, Ohio Art Company expanded its toy production business to meet the demand created when toys from Germany could no longer be imported.
Growth Through Acquisition
Henry Winzeler stepped down as president of Ohio Art Company in 1927.
Under new leadership, the company grew throughout the Great Depression by acquiring struggling manufacturers of toys, car parts, appliances, and novelty items. As plastics became the material of choice for many toys, Ohio Art Company again adapted.
Birth of an Icon
At a European toy fair in 1959, Howard Winzeler – son of founder Henry and then head of the company – met toy creator, Arthur Granjean, from L’Ecran Magique.
Ohio Art Company purchased the rights to Magique’s creation and renamed the toy “Etch A Sketch” before releasing it in time for the holiday shopping season in 1960.
Great Expectations
Etch A Sketch sold ten million units in the decade following its release and solidified the company’s place in pop culture history.
In the 1990s, the toy experienced a resurgence in popularity with its appearance in Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Ohio Art Company sold the Etch A Sketch brand to Canadian toy company, Spin Master, in 2016.
Other popular toys produced by Ohio Art Company include the Meadow Lane Farm playset, the School Box toy, tin spinning tops, toy drums, and more. Today, Ohio Art Company focuses on metal lithography.
