"Winky Dink and You" - In the 1950's, a popular cartoon show became the first interactive TV show in history. The writer and producer of the show was Louis M. “Deke” Heyward who passed on in March of 2002. For 50 cents viewers could buy their own Winky Dink Kit that was produced in conjunction with the show. This "game" consisted of a sheet of plastic shaped like a TV screen  (called a "magic TV window" or “magic screen”) and a number of crayons (“Winky Dink magic crayons”). This sheet of plastic was put over the TV screen at selected moments (static electricity kept it in place.)

During appropriate moments in the cartoon show, the viewers were asked to help Winky Dink do something by holding the plastic sheet to the TV set and by drawing (for instance) a bridge for the cartoon character(s) to use to cross the river or ditch over.

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History of Interactive Television