Sharpie (marker)
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| Type | Subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid |
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| Industry | Stationery |
| Founded | Sanford Manufacturing Company (1857) Sharpie marker (launched in 1964) |
| Founder(s) | Frederick W. Redington, William H. Sanford, Jr. (Sanford Manufacturing Company) |
| Headquarters | Oak Brook, Illinois, United States |
| Area served | North America, Europe |
| Products | Marker pens |
| Parent | Newell Rubbermaid |
| Website | www.sharpie.com |
Sharpie is a manufacturer of writing instruments (mainly marker pens) whose products are sold in over 20 countries. Originally a name designating a single permanent marker, the Sharpie brand has been widely expanded and can now be found on a variety of previously unrelated permanent and non-permanent pens and markers formerly marketed under other brands.
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[edit] History
"Sharpie" was originally a name designating a permanent marker launched in 1964 by the Sanford Ink Company. The Sharpie also became the first pen-style permanent marker.[1][2]
In 1992 Sharpie was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid as part of Sanford, a leading manufacturer and marketer of writing instruments.[3]
In 2004, Sharpie released a new line of markers that had a button activated retractable tip rather than a cap. Sharpie Paint markers were also introduced. In 2005, the company's popular Accent highlighter brand was repositioned under the Sharpie brand name. A new version of Sharpie called Sharpie Mini was launched, which are markers half the size of a normal Sharpie and feature a clip to attach the Sharpie to a keychain or lanyard. As of 2002, 200 million Sharpies had been sold worldwide.
[edit] Marketing
Sharpie sponsored the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500, a popular night-time race at Bristol Motor Speedway, from 2001 through 2009.[2] For the 2010 season, Newell Rubbermaid switched the sponsorship for this race to its Irwin Tools brand. Sharpie sponsored the Nationwide Series Sharpie Mini 300 race from 2004 to 2008. Prior to 2006, they sponsored Kurt Busch, who was the 2004 Sprint Cup champion. Sharpie also sponsored Jamie McMurray in the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
In recent years, Sharpie commercials have followed the slogan "Write Out Loud". These advertisements depict people using Sharpies in bad situations, such as using the marker to touch up a car and a college woman highlighting words in a book to notify a male student that his fly was open. Also, a middle aged woman trying to think of what to write for her resignation letter, writes "I QUIT" with a red Sharpie. Los Angeles Galaxy association football star David Beckham is sponsored by Sharpie and appears in a commercial signing autographs with a Sharpie and trying to steal them.[4]
[edit] Removal and safety
Though Sharpie ink will become permanent after setting, it can be easily erased for several hours after writing on many glossy (non-porous) surfaces, most readily smooth metal and glass. On mirror glass, simply soaking a cloth in water and rubbing it hard on the Sharpie ink will remove the ink. Since the ink is based on propanol, butanol, and diacetone alcohols, it can be removed from almost all non-porous surfaces using denatured alcohol. WD-40 will work moderately well on recent markings if alcohol is not available.
Sharpie ink that has dried for more than several hours can be removed with acetone and other ketones and esters, such as ethyl acetate, but acetone and other organic solvents may damage the surface of a material. On some surfaces, the ink can be removed by coloring over the ink with a dry erase marker (since this marker's ink contains organic solvents) and then removing the Sharpie ink and dry erase marker ink with a dry cloth. Steam cleaning has proved effective, as have rubber erasers. Magic Eraser has also proven somewhat effective on hard surfaces such as brick and very effective on wood furniture.[5]
There are no warning labels on Sharpie markers. However, that does not make them safe. To some, their smell is noxious, even after drying for several minutes. To others, the fumes from a Sharpie are enjoyable and are used to get high. They bear the new AP (Approved Product) certification symbol of The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI). According to the organization:
"The new AP (Approved Product) Seal, with or without Performance Certification, identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems. However, this does not mean that materials are not irritants or allergens. This seal is currently replacing the previous non-toxic seals: CP (Certified Product), AP (Approved Product) and HL Health Label (Non-Toxic) over a 10-year phase-in period. Such products are certified by ACMI to be labeled in accordance with the chronic hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U.S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA)."
They are considered non-toxic for "normal uses", meaning writing on posters, soccer balls and such. Sharpie is not meant for skin but is not dangerous. It would take over an ounce (about 29ml) of ink from a Sharpie to cause a reaction, and if a Sharpie is used on the skin it generally won’t cause an immediate or obvious health effect. The only time that the ink from the sharpie marker would have any reaction to skin would be if the person has an allergy to a type of alcohol, because according to the manufacturer,[6] various Sharpies contain: n-propanol, n-butanol, diacetone alcohol and cresol. The first of these, n-propanol, is commonly used in cosmetics. The other three, however, are industrial solvents, chemicals that should not be sniffed, eaten, or put on the skin. As solvents, they penetrate the skin and fingernails and can enter the bloodstream. This makes the Sharpie ink a potential health hazard.
Magnum Sharpie, King Size Sharpie and Touch-up Sharpie products contain xylene. The Magnum and King Size Sharpies also contain cresol. However, all other products in the Sharpie line are free of these chemicals and are considered safe under "normal use". These chemicals are not tested for human consumption, only incidental environmental exposure. So the chemical manufacturers’ technical data sheets on these chemicals are ambiguous with respect to how much should be considered a hazardous dosage. These documents do warn of kidney, liver, brain damage, other nervous disorders, and DNA effects resulting in birth defects. OSHA has set permissible exposure limits (PEL) at 100ppm for n-butanol, 50ppm for diacetone alcohol, and 5ppm for cresol. As with all volatile organic liquids, beware of potential upper respiratory inflammatory responses as these solvents can be irritants.
Some products have been reported to be able to remove this product from the skin, such as rubbing alcohol, denatured alcohol, nail polish remover, facial cleaning pads, toothpaste, and even deodorant.[7] Tabasco sauce or any vinegar based product is also particularly effective at removing the ink from skin. However, the ink wears off on its own within approximately two days as the ink is on skin cells that are constantly being shed. Organic solvents such as acetone and ethyl acetate are very effective at removing Sharpie ink.
[edit] Popular culture
Special Camp David Sharpies were made.[8]
Singer/Songwriter Kimya Dawson mentions the Sharpie brand in the lyrics of her song "Loose Lips", which featured in the number one soundtrack of 2007's Oscar-winning Juno.
In the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott (Michael Cera) wears a t-shirt with the Sharpie logo in a few scenes.
During a National Football League Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2002, former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens pulled a black Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown and then gave the ball to his financial adviser, who was in the stands. The touchdown celebration would bring a resurrgence to the NFL for new and innovative ways to celebrate touchdowns. It has commonly been referred to by sports fans as "The Sharpie Incident" or "The Sharpie Touchdown".
In the movie Date Night, Claire Foster (Tina Fey) notices a chicken nugget that has been stabbed with a Sharpie in the Felton's apartment. She exclaims, "They stabbed a chicken nugget with a Sharpie. These are bad people!".
Sharpie markers are favoured by magicians, with even magical gimmicked sharpies available to the magician.[citation needed]
Sharpie markers are favored by illustrator Adam Hughes for inking large areas in his convention sketches.[9][10]
[edit] References
- ^ Sharpie History (1961-1990)
- ^ a b Freeth, Nick (2005). Made in America. MBI Publishing. p. 246. ISBN 0760322708.
- ^ Sharpie in Newell Rubbermaid page
- ^ http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=221572
- ^ Removing Sharpie Marks creativehomemaking.com
- ^ Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- ^ Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin
- ^ Paul Bedard "Washington Whispers - Better Make It a Sharpie-or Else" U.S. News & World Report, September 17, 2006, retrieved August 16, 2007.
- ^ Coulson, Steve. "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt2 - The Process" YouTube; May 15, 2006; Accessed September 8, 2010
- ^ Coulson, Steve. "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt3 - The Tools" YouTube; May 15, 2006; Accessed September 8, 2010
