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NARRATOR:
In the museum, toys do not age the way people age.
They don’t get older, exactly.
They get… remembered.
And on the last nights of December, the museum feels like a giant attic—
full of objects that once felt brand new…
and now feel like proof that time is real.

NIGHT WATCHMAN (to mic, mock-host):
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Late Night at the Toy Museum—

Tonight we’re approaching New Year’s.
That magical time when everybody vows to “turn a page”…
even though most of us haven’t finished the last chapter and are actively using the book as a coaster.

And speaking of turning pages—

Ladies and gentlemen—please welcome… Etch A Sketch!

“Tonight’s featured toy didn’t start in America. It started in France, in the late 1950s, My first name was the Magic Screen—and in 1959 I was
NIGHT WATCHMAN (to mic):

Watchmen
So, basically… our guest is European royalty.

ETCH A SKETCH (light French accent, offended-proud):
Mais oui. I am not “a red toy.” I am ze Magic Screen. I am art… contained politely in plastic.

NIGHT WATCHMAN:
Contained politely… with two knobs.

ETCH A SKETCH:
Two dials. One for horizon… one for destiny. Try to keep up, mon ami.
I accept your applause, your awe, and your immediate apology for ever calling me “that red thing.”

NIGHT WATCHMAN:
He’s already offended. We’re going to have a great night.

ETCH A SKETCH:
I am not offended.
I am… misunderstood.
I am an instrument. A gallery. A discipline.
A tiny rectangle of destiny.

NIGHT WATCHMAN:
A tiny rectangle of destiny with two knobs.

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