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In praise of - childhood toys.

IT was difficult not to be gripped by a sense of nostalgia yesterday when reading of the passing of Andre Cassagnes, whose finest invention, the Etch A Sketch, was a favourite childhood toy of millions of people.

Hooked on Etch A Sketch as a 10-year-old, I liked how, whenever you ran out of creative inspiration, you simply gave it a shake and the screen would return to its placid grey colour.

Despite, in time, coming to look primitive next to more sophisticated toys and games, Etch A Sketch did sell 100 million units, and was, a decade ago, hailed by the Toy Industry Association as one of the 100 best toys of the 20th century.

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