Politics

‘Etch A Sketch’ makers hoping to make money off media attention

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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The makers of the “Etch A Sketch” tell The Daily Caller that the company is enjoying all the attention they are getting and hope to see an increase in sales after the toy somehow found itself in the middle of the Republican presidential race on Wednesday.

“It is too early to tell, but we are hopeful to see if there is an uptake in sales given this recent exposure,” Nicole Gresh, a spokeswoman for The Ohio Art Company, said in a statement provided to The Daily Caller.

“Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate,” she added.

On Wednesday, Eric Fehrnstrom, a top aide to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, caused problems for the Romney campaign when he was asked by CNN if the primary race was moving his candidate too far to the right, and whether that would hurt his chances in the general election.

“I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign,” Fehrnstrom said. “Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again.”

Romney’s rivals immediately pounced on the campaign, saying the Etch A Sketch comment from Fehrnstrom shows how Romney would discard the conservatism he’s espoused in the primary once in a general election.

Both former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were seen campaigning with Etch A Sketch toys on Wednesday on the campaign trail as they argued that Romney isn’t a true conservative. (RELATED: Romney aide causes stir with Etch A Sketch comment)

In the statement, the spokeswoman for The Ohio Art Company had fun using puns with the words “drawing” and “shaking.”

“Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society,” Gresh said. “A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate.”

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