After watching animals and shapes come to life at the hands of "Mr. Etch A Sketch" yesterday, Megan Davidson figured it was her turn.
So the 8-year-old Columbus girl sat crouched over the well-known red toy and began to write her name.
She easily mastered the M and followed rather quickly with the E and G. After a brief hesitation trying to create the A, she stopped, started, then decided to restart from the beginning.
"I messed up on the end," she said while furiously shaking the toy to erase her previous work.
Counting on an influx of families for the holidays, COSI Toledo plans a week full of activities, beginning yesterday with the return of Mr. Etch A Sketch. For the fifth straight year, Tim George of Columbus wrote names, drew animals, and taught basic shapes using the two knobs - one for horizontal lines, the other for vertical - on one of the world's most recognized toys.
After Megan finally lifted her masterpiece, complete with a very recognizable N, she received a high-five from the Etch A Sketch artist who has spent 17 years mastering the tricky craft.
"This is excitement for me," he said, watching Megan smile broadly with accomplishment. "Most toys today are electronics. This is the simplest technology there is. No batteries required, just creativity."
Mr. George, 55, who works as a security guard, said he began his life as an Etch A Sketch artist by chance when he picked up the toy to entertain his young daughter who was recovering from open-heart surgery. Today, he gets them by the box from Ohio Art Co. in Bryan, which has been marketing Etch A Sketch since the 1960s.
Mr. George said the company sends him one with loose backs so he can empty the gadget of all excess aluminum powder, which coats the screen when shaken. This lets him preserve his drawings of Mount Rushmore, an eagle, and the Statue of Liberty.
"You notice how Etch A Sketch crosses over age barriers. I love that," Mr. George said as a crowd of adults gathered around a toy from their youth. "I lost the kids, but I kept the adults."
Friends Dan Taritas of Celine, Mich., and Ty Tessmer and Jukka Pietila, both of Ann Arbor, sat in small chairs around a table full of Etch A Sketches, each trying to master a shape. Mr. Taritas' circle turned out more like a D, inspiring him to write his name while Mr. Tessmer felt compelled to turn his lopsided circle into the head on a mug of beer.
So while their children played on other COSI attractions nearby, the three men poured out their artistic talents in the one continuous line that proves challenging for even a veteran.
"I used to play with this as a kid and haven't seen them in a long time," Mr. Tessmer said.
Today at COSI, a paper snowflake artist will be on hand. Chad Hartson, owner of Ice Creations in Napoleon and winner of the World Art Championships in Alaska, will demonstrate ice sculpting tomorrow.
COSI is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all week and closed New Year's Day.
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com
or 419-724-6076.
First Published December 27, 2005, 11:22 a.m.
