My earliest artistic influence was a character called Winky Dink. I credit (and sometimes curse) Windy Dink with instilling a love of drawing in me at a very tender age. The following is courtesy of Wikipedia:
Praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show", the show’s gimmick was a "magic drawing screen", which was a large piece of vinyl plastic which was held on the television screen via static electricity. A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. (wow, I’m really dating myself here….) At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short, Winky would arrive upon a scene which contained a connect the dot picture. He would then prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story. Examples include drawing a bridge to cross a river, an axe to chop down a tree, or a cage to trap a dangerous lion. Many children would omit the Magic Screen and draw on the television screen itself, to the annoyance of their parents. (I never drew on the screen, btw, though I will admit to annoying my parents in plenty of other ways.)
I still use imagery that I drew on that Magic screen: ladders, boats, bottles… I helped Winky Dink out of many a jam, and in return he turned me into a budding artist. Thanks, Winky! (and darn you, Winky!)
Praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show", the show’s gimmick was a "magic drawing screen", which was a large piece of vinyl plastic which was held on the television screen via static electricity. A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. (wow, I’m really dating myself here….) At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short, Winky would arrive upon a scene which contained a connect the dot picture. He would then prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story. Examples include drawing a bridge to cross a river, an axe to chop down a tree, or a cage to trap a dangerous lion. Many children would omit the Magic Screen and draw on the television screen itself, to the annoyance of their parents. (I never drew on the screen, btw, though I will admit to annoying my parents in plenty of other ways.)
I still use imagery that I drew on that Magic screen: ladders, boats, bottles… I helped Winky Dink out of many a jam, and in return he turned me into a budding artist. Thanks, Winky! (and darn you, Winky!)
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