Magic Slate

Magic Slate (also known as Magic Slate paper saver) is a children's drawing toy. It was invented by R. A. Watkins in 1923 in the United States, and has remained in production for over seven decades. Besides being a toy, it is also used as an erasable message board and a communication device for people unable to speak. Magic Slates were also used during the Cold War by US Embassy staff in Moscow to thwart attempts by the KGB to intercept their communications.[1][2]

Magic Slate
Magic Slate illustrated with Peanuts cartoon characters
TypeDrawing toy
Inventor(s)R. A. Watkins
CompanyWatkins-Strathmore (1920s–1958)
Western Publishing (1958–1996)
Golden Books Publishing (1996-2001)
CountryUnited States
Availability1920s–2001

The Magic Slate has been described as "one of the all-time great cheap toys", and "the unsung, silent hero of the Cold War".[3]

Operation

The Magic Slate consists of a piece of rigid cardboard the size of a small clipboard that is covered with dark waxed paper on one side, a sheet of translucent plastic film that covers the waxed paper and is affixed to the top of the board, and a blunt stylus made of wood or plastic. When writing or drawing on the plastic film with the stylus, the plastic sticks to the underlying wax paper where it was pressed down and wax's dark color shows through the plastic, revealing what was written. To erase whatever was drawn or written, the plastic sheet is lifted, which detaches itself from the wax paper and makes the dark areas disappear.[3][4]

History

The Magic Slate was invented in 1923 by R. A. Watkins,[5] born c. 1888 in Baraboo, Wisconsin.[6] It was originally intended to be used as a paper saver on the factory floor of a corset factory where Watkins worked in Aurora, Illinois.[5] He made it out of a wax board and pieces of plastic, which enabled it to be used as a reusable timesheet. But when he showed it to his children, he saw the potential for it to be used as a toy.[3][2] Watkins went into partnership in the 1920s with the Strathmore Company, a printer in Aurora. "Magic Slate" was registered as a trademark,[7] and Watkins-Strathmore began production of the toy.[8]

The toy "was an enormous success",[3] and in the 1950s it attracted the attention of media companies like The Walt Disney Company.[7] They licensed production of the toy with its frame decorated with pictures of comic book heroes, such as Batman and The Hulk, Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Bambi, and popular stars from TV shows and films.[3] Magic Slates went on to be more than just a child's toy. They were also used as erasable message boards and communication devices for people unable to speak, particularly in hospitals.[5]

The Watkins-Strathmore partnership was taken over by Western Publishing in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1958,[8] which continued manufacturing the toy in Aurora,[7] and later in Fayetteville, North Carolina.[9] In 1996 Western Publishing was renamed Golden Books Family Entertainment,[10] which continued to produce Magic Slates until it was purchased by DIC Entertainment in 2001.[11]

Counterespionage

In the 1950s the Magic Slate was used by US Embassy staff in Moscow to thwart attempts by the Soviets to intercept their communications.[1] Jeremy Duns stated in his 2013 book Dead Drop: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation:

In 1952, an electronic sweep of the American ambassador's residence had revealed that a wooden replica of the Great Seal of the United States that had been a gift from a Soviet youth group at the end of the war contained a listening device. As a result, the Americans were convinced that microphones were hidden throughout the embassy, and some staff had taken to communicating with each other by writing on children's Magic Slate doodle pads, which they would wipe clean after each message so that no trace of sensitive conversations remained.[1]

Magic Slates were freely available and cheap and enabled the embassy staff to exchange messages silently without leaving any trace of their communications.[3]

In the mid-1980s the Magic Slate was used once again in Moscow when the Soviets were caught bugging the US Embassy. Senators and aides visiting Moscow came equipped with slates.[2][3] Newspaper reports of the Magic Slate's role in the US Embassy[2][5] were a windfall for Western Publishing, and they increased production of the toy.[2] They also shipped several thousand Magic Slates to the US State Department.[5] In a covering letter to then President Reagan, Secretary of State George Shultz and the Director of Central Intelligence, the publisher wrote: "We are not often called upon to serve our country's defense, so we are pleased at the prospect of making a contribution."[5] The units were returned unused with thanks as the US Embassy surveillance problem had been resolved.[3]

Magic Slates are used in the TV show, Evil, episode "S Is for Silence" (2021). It takes place in a monastery where the monks and nuns observe a vow of silence and communicate with each other using Magic Slates decorated with colorful cartoon characters.[12][13] A Magic Slate also features in "Endure and Survive" (2023), an episode of the TV show, The Last of Us. In it, a deaf boy uses a slate to communicate with others.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. Duns, Jeremy (2013). Dead Drop: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation. Simon & Schuster. p. 20. ISBN 978-1849839273.
  2. Horovitz, Bruce (April 11, 1987). "Magic Slate, Created 64 Years Ago, Gains New Status in an Era of Super-Sophisticated Spying". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. Osterman, Nate (July 12, 2020). "The Classified History of the Magic Slate". CompleteSet. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. Coopee, Todd (August 29, 2022). "Magic Slate Paper Saver Toys from Western Publishing (1950s)". Toy Tales. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  5. Jones, Tamara (April 8, 1987). "Dimestore Toy a Counterespionage Tool With AM-Moscow Embassy Bjt". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  6. "Baraboo native celebrates 90th". Baraboo News Republic. Baraboo, Wisconsin. June 12, 1974. p. 7. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Western Printing Purchases Capital Stock of Plant in Aurora". The Journal Times. Racine, Wisconsin. April 3, 1958. p. 33. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Madison, Charles Allan (1966). Book publishing in America. McGraw-Hill. p. 469. ISBN 978-0835207553.
  9. "Company turned bad luck to good fortune". The Journal Times. Racine, Wisconsin. July 26, 1987. p. 47. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Marcus, Leonard S. (2007). Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon along the Way. Golden Books. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-375-82996-3.
  11. Ashdown, Simon (July 1, 2001). "DIC gets busy in books and vids". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  12. Sokol, Tony (August 29, 2021). "Evil Season 2 Episode 7 Review: S Is for Silence". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  13. Fremont, Maggie (August 29, 2021). "Evil Recap: Don't Say a Word". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  14. Bonaime, Ross (February 11, 2023). "The Last of Us Episode 5 Recap: Our Protectors". Collider. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  15. Cote, David (February 10, 2023). "Joel and Ellie find new travel companions in a padded The Last Of Us". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
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