Etch A Sketch rode a political gaffe to a bonafide PR win. Sensing an opportunity, they released this creative statement after Mitt Romney advisor Eric Gehrnstrom used the antique toy as a way to describe what happens when we move from primary season into the general election.

Shortly after the interview, both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum made appearances holding up an Etch A Sketch. They’ve kept up the Etch A Sketch-related attacks for days. Their supporters did the same. Santorum’s spokesperson Alice Stewart handed out the toys at a Romney gathering and then waved one on Anderson Cooper 360°.

As a result, Etch A Sketch’s stock skyrocketed. Is the recession so bad that we’re taking stock cues from bad metaphors?

Bigger question: Have Santorum and Gingrich benefited from their antics?

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Yesterday, Mitt Romney’s adviser Eric Gehrnstrom stunned the media corps with a bizarre statement showing the presumptive GOP nominee’s camp doesn’t understand the modern nature of political campaigning. Telling CNN: “You hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again.”

Rick “I’m not going away” Santorum was quick to respond, using the classic toy as a prop during a rally in Louisiana.  Our favorite response so far comes from Andy Borowitz on Twitter: “We’re not like Etch-a-Sketch. We’re more like Hungry Hungry Hippos – we can’t stop opening our mouths.”

Another winner in this flap is the toymaker itself.

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