This is deception from the marketing team. This product definitely does not light up. Completely misleading, I'm still trying to figure out what the batteries are for.

Great

Our kids have had Boogie Boards, which are essentially the same technology. LCD panel that is pressure sensitive (be careful too much pressure will leave permanent marks). The Etch A Sketch version has a rainbow backing which is kind of awesome, and the two 'knobs' are double sided stampers that you can use.

The biggest downside is that you have to shake it pretty hard to get it to clear, and it has sand or some noise maker inside so it makes it seem like it's an Etch A Sketch, when really it's something that could have been done with a button. We wanted a toy we could take into Church, but this makes it a bit too loud, even though it's kind of a neat concept and a throwback to the real Etch a Sketch.

This is a fun toy that entertained my daughter on a long car trip. It's not an Etch-a-Sketch. Those two knobs you see are actually double-sided removable stamps. They snap in well and don't fall out too easily (unless you drop it), but the idea is that you can use them to make various shapes on the screen. The screen comes with a rubberized styles which is tied on (so it does not get lost) and even stores inside the screen itself. You can't draw in color per se, but the background behind the black screen is a rainbow, so images get a pretty rainbow effect to them. I'm not sure what the batteries are for, but I think it has to do with clearing the screen. A light shake doesn't clear the screen. You have to give it a pretty vigorous shake, and then the screen clears "instantly" - it doesn't get lighter slowly as you shake more like a real etch-a-sketch. Leads me to believe there is some sort of sensor or similar that activates a "clear screen" when the device is shaken hard enough. In any event, my daughter had fun doodling on it, so it's a nice car toy. Just bear in mind that it is closer to a Magnadoodle than an etch-a-sketch.

This toy bears the Etch a Sketch name, but most of the resemblance ends there. While I'm a traditionalist and tend to hate to see any iconic toy change too much, in this case, I have to consider it somewhat of an improvement.

Iconic or not, I always found the original Etch A Sketch a bit boring and frustrating. I'm in my sixties and I remember it from the "˜50's, my children had the exact same version many years later. None of us were ever successful in completing a drawing we were happy with. We either made a knob-related mistake, or we made the lines too long or too short and were never able to use the two knobs together to produce what we wanted.

The original toy was a great idea with serious limitations. The only things it had going for it were tradition, portability, and durability. Of these, portability has been transferred to this incarnation, but as for durability, time will tell. It is much lighter in weight than the original, doesn't feel as solid, and since batteries are needed that implies that it has a mechanism subject to malfunction. The fact that you press down onto the surface also implies wear.

This version allows for color drawings. You can't exactly choose the color--that is set in the background somewhere in a sort of horizontal gradient. Green goes where the green is in the underlying gradient, you can't paint with green anywhere else, and so it is with every color. Still the overall effect is pleasant and creative.

This incarnation bears only a surface resemblance to the original. To begin with, it's battery-operated (batteries included). Where those frustrating knobs used to be you now have removal stamps which provide four images and a drawing edge. In addition to the stamps, you have a stylus-like pen that allows for pressure-sensitive width of lines and for free-style drawing.

The erasing system is also different. You don't turn it upside down and shake. You insert the pen and shake up and down fast while holding it upwards. To remove smudges, just wipe with water or windex.

This is the version of Etch A Sketch my grandchildren will play with. I don't plan to subject them to the frustrations of the original. My 8-year old grandson played with it for a while and enjoyed it, but my 4-year old granddaughter has pretty much commandeered it for her own and plays with it often. Not a bad accomplishment for a toy that is competing with an i-pad.

It's also a good toy for on-the-go. For car trips or for waiting room situations (like doctor's office or hair salon) it's perfect.