Ohio Art Company
118+ years and still operating (founded 1908)
About Ohio Art Company
Ohio Art began as a picture frame company before entering toys in the 1920s. The company is most famous for Etch A Sketch, invented in France by André Cassagnes and bought by Ohio Art in 1960; it sold in tens of millions and the brand was sold on to Spin Master in 2016. Ohio Art also produced vast quantities of colorful lithographed tin sand pails, tea sets, and Disney-licensed toys.
Founding
Henry Simon Winzeler, a dentist who left his practice in 1908 to manufacture picture frames in Archbold, Ohio, moving to Bryan two years later.
History of Ohio Art Company
Ohio Art began with metal picture frames and moved into lithographed tin toys, and for fifty years its business was printed tinware: sand pails and shovels, tea sets, spinning tops, drums, globes, and toy dishes, much of it under Disney and other character licences. The lithography is the company's craft and the reason its sand pails are collected as graphic design.
Then in 1960 it bought a French invention. André Cassagnes had devised a drawing device using aluminium powder on the inside of a glass screen, moved by a stylus on an X-Y carriage; Ohio Art bought the rights, named it Etch A Sketch, and sold it in tens of millions. It remains one of the most recognisable toys ever made and is in the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Ohio Art continued in toys — Betty Spaghetti in the 1990s was a genuine success — while its metal-lithography division became a substantial industrial business printing tins for other companies. The Etch A Sketch brand was sold to Spin Master in 2016.
Timeline
- 1908Henry Winzeler founds the Ohio Art Company to make picture frames
- 1912Lithographed tin toys enter the range
- 1930Disney-licensed tin tea sets and sand pails are staple products
- 1960Etch A Sketch is licensed from André Cassagnes and becomes a phenomenon
- 1995Betty Spaghetti dolls are a commercial success
- 2016The Etch A Sketch brand is sold to Spin Master
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- Etch A Sketch (1960)
- Ohio Art tin sand pails
- Ohio Art Disney tea sets
- Betty Spaghetti dolls (1990s)
- Ohio Art magnetic drawing board
Identifying & Dating Ohio Art Company Toys
- Look for "The Ohio Art Co." with "Bryan, Ohio" and "Made in U.S.A." lithographed on the base of tinware, often with a stock number.
- Character items carry the licensor's copyright line — "Walt Disney Enterprises" before 1939, "Walt Disney Productions" after — which dates them closely.
- Etch A Sketch bodies are marked Ohio Art with a patent reference; frame colour and logo style date the issue.
Collector's Notes
- Sand pails are collected for the artwork and are graded harshly on rust, scratching and dents, since they lived in salt water and sand. Character pails are the premium.
- Disney tin tea sets and dishes are valued on the licence period and completeness of the set; individual pieces are common.
- Early Etch A Sketch units with the original red frame, box and stylus are collected, and the aluminium powder settles and the screen clouds with age — a clean drawing surface matters.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Ohio Art Company founded?
Ohio Art Company was founded in 1908, based in Bryan, OH.
Is Ohio Art Company still in business?
Yes. Ohio Art Company is still operating today, 118+ years after it was founded.
What is Ohio Art Company best known for?
Ohio Art Company is best known for Etch A Sketch (1960), Ohio Art tin sand pails, Ohio Art Disney tea sets, among other toys.
Where was Ohio Art Company located?
Ohio Art Company was based in Bryan, OH.
What kinds of toys did Ohio Art Company make?
Ohio Art Company is categorized under tin toys, drawing toys, educational, preschool toys.
Who founded Ohio Art Company?
Henry Simon Winzeler, a dentist who left his practice in 1908 to manufacture picture frames in Archbold, Ohio, moving to Bryan two years later.
How can you identify genuine Ohio Art Company toys?
Look for "The Ohio Art Co." with "Bryan, Ohio" and "Made in U.S.A." lithographed on the base of tinware, often with a stock number. Character items carry the licensor's copyright line — "Walt Disney Enterprises" before 1939, "Walt Disney Productions" after — which dates them closely. Etch A Sketch bodies are marked Ohio Art with a patent reference; frame colour and logo style date the issue.
Are Ohio Art Company toys valuable?
Sand pails are collected for the artwork and are graded harshly on rust, scratching and dents, since they lived in salt water and sand. Character pails are the premium. Disney tin tea sets and dishes are valued on the licence period and completeness of the set; individual pieces are common. Early Etch A Sketch units with the original red frame, box and stylus are collected, and the aluminium powder settles and the screen clouds with age — a clean drawing surface matters.