Magna Doodle
Encyclopedia
Magna Doodle is the original product name of a children's magnetic
drawing
toy
, consisting of a drawing board
, a magnetic stylus
, and a few magnet shape
s. Invented in 1974, over forty million units have been sold to date worldwide, under several brands, product names and variations.
The key element of the toy is the magnetophoretic display panel, filled with a thick, opaque white liquid
containing tiny dark magnetic particles
. These particles can be drawn to the drawing surface by a magnet-tipped stylus or optionally-provided shapes, or removed to the hidden back side by a sliding eraser
bar. The middle layer is divided into a honeycomb
of cells, keeping the liquid static and the particles evenly distributed across the panel. The liquid is formulated so that the floating particles can be pulled through it in response to the magnetic forces, but not due to gravity.
The toy was originally produced as "Magna Doodle" by Tyco
until 1998, when the manufacturing rights to most of Tyco's toy product line were sold to Fisher-Price
. "Magna Doodle" is currently owned and produced by the Ohio Art Company
, having formerly been distributed in the United Kingdom
by Fisher-Price
. Fisher-Price have produced their own alternative called the Doodle Pro. The Doodle Pro is still available in the UK from the distribution company Megatel LTD.
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
, consisting of a drawing board
Drawing board
A drawing board is, in its antique form, a kind of multipurpose desk which can be used for any kind of drawing, writing or impromptu sketching on a large sheet of paper or for reading a large format book or other oversized document or for drafting precise technical illustrations...
, a magnetic stylus
Stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
, and a few magnet shape
Shape
The shape of an object located in some space is a geometrical description of the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from location and orientation in space, size, and other properties such as colour, content, and material...
s. Invented in 1974, over forty million units have been sold to date worldwide, under several brands, product names and variations.
The key element of the toy is the magnetophoretic display panel, filled with a thick, opaque white liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
containing tiny dark magnetic particles
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
. These particles can be drawn to the drawing surface by a magnet-tipped stylus or optionally-provided shapes, or removed to the hidden back side by a sliding eraser
Eraser
An eraser or rubber is an article of stationery that is used for rubbing out pencil markings. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and are often white or pink, although modern materials allow them to be made in any color. Many pencils are equipped with an eraser on one end...
bar. The middle layer is divided into a honeycomb
Honeycomb
A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal waxcells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen.Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey...
of cells, keeping the liquid static and the particles evenly distributed across the panel. The liquid is formulated so that the floating particles can be pulled through it in response to the magnetic forces, but not due to gravity.
The toy was originally produced as "Magna Doodle" by Tyco
Tyco Toys
Tyco Toys is an American toy manufacturer. Since 1997 it has been a division of the Mattel toy company.-History:Mantua Metal Products was a Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, metalworks business founded in 1926 by John Tyler and family...
until 1998, when the manufacturing rights to most of Tyco's toy product line were sold to Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
. "Magna Doodle" is currently owned and produced by the Ohio Art Company
Ohio Art Company
Ohio Art Company is a manufacturing company founded in 1908 based in Bryan, Ohio. The company is principally engaged in two lines of business. The first line of business is the sales, marketing and distribution of toys including the Etch A Sketch, and K's Kids...
, having formerly been distributed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
. Fisher-Price have produced their own alternative called the Doodle Pro. The Doodle Pro is still available in the UK from the distribution company Megatel LTD.
Product use
- A Magna Doodle was seen hanging on the door in ChandlerChandler BingChandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends, portrayed by Matthew Perry.-Background:Chandler Muriel Bing was born on April 8, 1968, the son of an erotic novelist mother and a cross-dressing Las Vegas star and is of Scottish ancestry. Chandler was Ross...
's and JoeyJoey TribbianiJoseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends and the title character in the spin-off, Joey , portrayed by Matt LeBlanc....
's apartment in the television series FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. Different drawings appeared on it in each episode. Joey took the Magna Doodle with him when he went to Hollywood in the spin-off series JoeyJoey (TV series)Joey is an American sitcom, which stars Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani from the sitcom Friends. It premiered on the NBC television network, on September 9, 2004, in the former time slot of its parent series, Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m...
. - Contestants on the children's game show Nick Arcade used Magna Doodles to write guesses or wagers.
- A highly modified Magna Doodle device was used by the Gurongi in Kamen Rider KuugaKamen Rider Kuugais a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the tenth installment of the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows and the first of the series to air entirely in the Heisei period. It was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei, and was shown on TV Asahi from January...
. - Because the Magna Doodle uses no inkInkInk is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
or graphiteGraphiteThe mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
, many SCUBAScuba divingScuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
instructors use it as an underwater whiteboard when instructing students. It is also used by diversUnderwater divingUnderwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
who wish to pass short notes. The Magna Doodle is not specifically designed to work underwaterUnderwaterUnderwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
and many of its components can rustRustRust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
or otherwise deteriorate over time.
External links
- How Magna Doodle Works at HowStuffWorksHowStuffWorksHowStuffWorks is a commercial edutainment website that was founded by Marshall Brain with the goal of giving its target audience an insight into the way in which many things work. The site uses various media in its effort to explain complex concepts, terminology and mechanisms, including...
See also
- Etch A SketchEtch A SketchEtch A Sketch is a registered trademark for a mechanical drawing toy manufactured by the Ohio Art Company.An Etch A Sketch is a thick, flat gray screen in a plastic frame. There are two knobs on the front of the frame in the lower corners. Twisting the knobs moves a stylus that displaces aluminium...
, a somewhat similar toy using a different principle of operation.