“Draw and design oodles of doodles with Skedoodle!”
In 1979, Hasbro released Skedoodle, a drawing and design machine that combined features from Spirograph and Etch A Sketch. The toy’s design featured a curved, circular golden view screen and control stick, all housed in a break-resistant red plastic case.
Junior artists ages 4 and up would move the control stick in any direction to draw freehand lines, curves, and rudimentary shapes. More complex patterns and geometric shapes were possible thanks to 12 design disks included in the package. Each disk could be placed on top of the control stick to serve as a Spirograph-like stencil.
Two years after Skedoodle’s release, Hasbro upgraded the control stick with “design action.” This new feature turned the toy’s drawing capabilities on and off, so children could draw and design without connecting the lines.
Regardless of the model in use, a Skeedoodle masterpiece could be erased by turning the toy over and shaking it, resulting in a blank canvas for future drawing sessions.
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