I Heart Sharpies

I proudly admit it - I LOVE school supplies.  The appeal of a pristine new spiral notebook, the oh-so-familiar scent of a new glue stick, wooden pencils sharpened to the perfect point...ahhh...almost makes me long for school again (on second thought, I'll just revel in the supplies because God knows I don't ever again want the stress of writing a 20-page paper about the organizational challenges at Boeing on Sunday at 4pm - gives me cold sweats just thinking about it).

But my all-time favorite "grown-up" school supply has to be the Sharpie.  I'm not sure when it began or exactly how, but this obsession has been going on for many years.  As a marketer, I completely admire their campaigns - they're like the Converse of the marker world.  You just feel cooler using one, not to mention the confidence required knowing everything you write is permanent.  Sharpie.com

Fortunately, my love for this gloriously fun writing instrument is shared equally by my sister (she even has the stainless refillable one), and I'm pretty sure she's the only one who understands my excitement when Sharpie launches a new product.  In fact, when Sharpie first introduced their pen that doesn't show through paper, she and I bought them together and were barely out of the store before ripping open the packaging - it was like two smokers who couldn't open the pack to get their fix fast enough.  A little pathetic?  Maybe.  Harmful to our health? Not a chance. Passionate about our pens?  Definitely.

I will say that not all their products are a home run, like the Liquid Pencil (I'm not a fan) and the 1980s "fashion colors" (do any of us really want to relive horrible pastel on paper?).  But you can never go wrong with the Ultra Fine or Extra Fine tip (the latter of which is extremely hard to find - hey Sharpie, if you're listening, time to broaden the distribution and color palette of that one). 

So next time you're in Target or Office Depot, don't forget to peruse the ole' Sharpie section and pick up a few fun colors to punch up your next To-Do list or buy a good chisel-tip highlighter to rekindle some fond textbook memories.  Before you know it, you'll be a Sharpie Devotee too.  I warn you - you'll fall fast, and remember, it's 100% permanent.  Now if I could just find a grown-up coloring book...

Happy Doodling,

K8