My Collection Of Etch A Sketch

A short conversation with Jane Labowitch, aka Princess Etch, who has spent her life drawing on and collecting every version of Etch A Sketch she can find.

May 22, 2026

Jane Labowitch is an Etch A Sketch artist based near Baltimore. She grew up drawing on a vintage Etch A Sketch at her grandmother’s house. Around her eighth or ninth birthday, her dad gave her a sparkly blue pocket edition of her own, and the collection grew from there. She has spent years tracking down every variant of the Etch A Sketch, and in 2015 won an art competition hosted by the company that makes it.

She’s still looking for the white and black Swarovski Crystal editions to complete her set.

Follow Jane, her art, and collection at princessetch.com, and on Instagram and TikTok.

***Before we get into Jane’s interview, this newsletter was recently featured in an edition of Substack’s Weekender. You can read it here.

What do you collect?
Jane: My main collection is Etch A Sketch variants!
Jane sitting atop an Etch A Sketch throne.
How did it begin?
Jane: I've been into drawing on an Etch A Sketch since I was around 4. My dad bought me a sparkly blue pocket (small) Etch A Sketch for my birthday when I was a kid, and it became the default gift to give me throughout my middle and high school years. I'd add more to my collection by spotting them on clearance at Kmart and stumbling onto unique variants at thrift stores.
Sketching with Bob Ross.
Step-by-step tutorial explains how Jane preserves her one-of-a-kind Etch A Sketch art.
What’s the first thing you remember collecting?
Jane: Old coins and Pokemon merchandise. From a very young age I became enamored with the concept of rarity. I remember asking my dad if our vacuum cleaner was rare. When he told me it was, I remember perceiving it as a thing worthy of greater respect.
What first inspired your love of collecting?
Jane: I was always fascinated with the idea of organizing and cataloging objects meant to exist as part of a series. Coins were so easy to organize by date, and the older the coin the more I perceived its rarity. The state quarter series gave me immense joy, and to this day I pocket any bicentennial that I stumble upon. But the slogan of Pokémon hook line and sunk me. “Gotta catch ‘em all” was the perfect command to inspire me to complete my Pokedex.
Where do you usually find the things you collect?
Jane: These days I find most Etch A Sketches on websites like eBay, and I’m always checking the toy section at thrift stores.
How far have you gone to add to the collection?
Jane: I recently traveled to NYC to purchase a rare red FAO Schwarz Swarovski Crystal edition Etch A Sketch. Only 4 were made so it was worth the adventure!
Jane presents one of her most prized pieces in the collection: a rare red FAO Schwarz Swarovski Crystal edition.
What’s your favorite piece in the collection right now?
Jane: The honor of my favorite Etch A Sketch right now has to go to the above-mentioned FAO Etch A Sketch. It’s truly the most elevated version of the iconic classic red Etch A Sketch, and might be the rarest variant ever made commercially available.
What’s something that you’ll never part with?
Jane: I’ll never part with my Etch A Sketch trophy. Not only does it have my name on it since I won it in an art competition hosted by Ohio Art in 2015, but it serves as a physical manifestation of the work and dedication I put into developing my skills as an Etch A Sketch artist.
Jane with her trophy from the Ohio Art competition.
What’s the one thing you dream about finding? Tell me about your holy grail.
Jane: There are a few grails - some of which I cannot speak about out of fear that someone else will pick up a scent before me, haha. I'm most interested in finding the white and black variants of the FAO Schwarz Swarovski Crystal edition Etch A Sketches to complete my full set. On a more affordable note, I've been on the hunt for the red variant of the PowerPenz Doodler Pen for like a decade now and I can't believe how uncommon they are!
Jane with a blue PowerPenz Doodler Pen.
If someone looked at your collection, what would they learn about you?
Jane: I am incredibly nostalgic at heart, and I collect for the fun of it. There's no real market for Etch A Sketch, so it's been a blast to pick up new versions for just a few bucks. I also deeply care about the history of Etch A Sketch.