132:, a Hungarian-Argentine inventor observed children playing with marbles in a puddle, noticing that the marbles left a trail of water in their wake. Inspired by this observation, he conceived of a mechanism for a pen that used a ball-shaped metal nib to place ink onto a page. He shared his idea with his brother György, a chemist, and together they began researching and experimenting to create such a pen. Eventually, they developed a working prototype that used a viscous ink held in a narrow reservoir, with a tip containing a tiny ball that rotated freely. This design prevented the ink from drying out within the reservoir, and allowed for an even flow onto the page. They presented their invention at the Budapest International Fair in 1931 and patented it in 1938, although they did not market it immediately. With the start of World War II, the brothers immigrated to Argentina, where they founded
234:
show the ink-level. The only exception is the BIC Cristal UP, a pen marketed by Bic that supposedly creates more vivid lines when used. These pens have a white barrel and, depending on what color the ink reservoir contains, a small area of the pen barrel and cap with the corresponding ink color. A tiny hole in the barrel's body maintains the same air pressure inside and outside the pen. The pen is available in many different ink colors, ranging from the classic blue, black, red, and green of traditional offices, to pink, purple, and other modern and artistic colors. The thick ink flows down due to
980:
218:
40:
177:. Bich invested in Swiss technology capable of shaping metal down to 0.01 millimetres (0.00039 in), which could produce a stainless steel one-millimetre (0.039 in) sphere which allowed ink to flow freely. Bich developed an improved ink with a viscosity that neither leaked nor clogged and, under a ballpoint pen patent licensed from Bíró, launched the Cristal in December 1950.
140:
acquired the rights to Biro’s design. Near the end of the Second World War on the recommendation of an advertising expert, he dropped the "h" from his surname and founded the company BICGroup. He bought a factory in Clichy, a suburb north of Paris, and with business partner
Edouard Buffard founded
233:
recognised the Bic
Cristal's industrial design by introducing it into the museum's permanent collection. Its hexagonal shape resembles the typical wooden pencil and grants strength and three grip points giving high writing stability. The pen's transparent polystyrene barrel and polypropylene tube
136:. Their new pens were initially unsuccessful due to the high cost of the product, but gained a boost in popularity due to a contract with the British Air Force. In 1943, the Biro brothers licensed their invention to Eversharp Faber in the United States for $ 2 million. In 1944, entrepreneur
194:
for the pen, which fit in with product branding trends of the post-war era. Early Bic advertisements in France referred to the
Cristal as the "Atomic pen". Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Bic Cristal's writing tip and ergonomic design helped shift the worldwide market for pens from
360:
In 2014 Bic released a new writing instrument based on the
Cristal, a modified pen with a rubber tip opposite the ballpoint. This model, called the "Cristal Stylus", is for use on touchscreens. Bic funded a website to promote the stylus that crowdsourced a new typeface, named the
202:
In 1959 Bich brought the pen to the
American market: the Bic pen was soon selling at 29 cents (equivalent to $ 3.03 in 2023) with the slogan "writes first time, every time." In 1965, the French Ministry of Education approved the Bic Cristal for use in classrooms.
332:
In 2012, Bic marketed a spin-off product named the "Bic
Cristal for Her". The pen, similar to the original, was supposedly designed specifically for women, and was sold in pink and purple colors. The product provoked outrage and ridicule, with television show host
791:
112:. It was introduced in 1950 and is the best-selling pen in the world, with the 100 billionth sold in September 2006. It has become the archetypal ballpoint pen and is considered ubiquitous, to the extent that the
206:
In 1961, the Bic Orange was introduced, featuring a fine 0.8 mm (0.031 in) point and an orange barrel instead of a translucent one. Bic manufactures this pen in its own plants in Europe.
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award for advertising. In 1953, advertising executive Pierre
Guichenné advised Bich to shorten his family name to Bic as an easy-to-remember, globally adaptable
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The
Cristal's design has been widely copied around the world, especially in the Far East. One Kenyan manufacturer of the Cristal reportedly lost 100 M
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374:
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561:
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161:; pens, mechanical pencils and accessories. During the war, Bich had seen the ballpoint pen manufactured in Argentina by
941:
521:
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because it absorbs impact better, reducing the chance of the pen cracking or splitting if it is dropped onto the cap.
258:
cap has a small hole added, to reduce the risk of suffocation if the cap is inhaled. Polypropylene is used instead of
502:
238:
from the tube inside the barrel, to feed the ball, which can rotate within a brass bearing. In 1961, the originally
209:
In
September 2006, the Bic Cristal was declared the best selling pen in the world after the 100 billionth was sold.
621:
792:"Response Strategies of Haco Industries Kenya Limited to the Challenges of Counterfeit Products in East Africa"
254:
10 in) between spinning plates coated with industrial diamond abrasives. Since 1991 the pen's streamlined
728:
362:
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1051:
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at 2009 exchange rate) to cheap copies from China, forcing them to negotiate cheaper licensing from Bic.
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424:"The Universal Typeface Project Averages the World's Handwriting to Produce an Incredibly Average Font"
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has made it a permanent part of its collection. Its hexagonal form and design mimics a standard
678:
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inch (14.9 cm × 1.3 cm) with the cap, or 14.5 cm × 0.7 cm (
979:
818:"Bic For Her: What They Were Actually Thinking (As Told By A Man Who Worked On Tampons)"
925:
342:
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saying "Can you believe this? We've been using man pens all these years," and comedian
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869:"A Book for Her by Bridget Christie review – a hybrid of writing and performance"
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844:"From 'BIC For Her' To BIC For Them - How Cancel Culture Got BIC Back On Track"
217:
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89:
1021:
659:
39:
586:
The Art of
Ballpoint: Experimentation, Exploration, and Techniques in Ink
259:
137:
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by heat, then ground down and milled to an accuracy of 0.1 μm (3.9
191:
120:
and it is sold in six types of point and 18 colours around the world.
736:
946:
608:
An early BIC ad campaign referred to the pen as the 'Atomic Pen.'
655:"It's 70 today, but our favourite pen just keeps rolling along"
117:
109:
942:"The Classic Bic Pen Now Works On Your Smartphone Display Too"
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180:
Bich invested heavily in advertising, hiring poster designer
165:. Between 1949 and 1950, the Bic Cristal was designed by the
353:
reviews. In 2017 it was inducted into the collection of the
321:
919:
Hauser, Christine; Anderson, Christina (21 April 2017).
805:– via University of Nairobi Digital Repository.
765:"Bic Cristal Pens | The World's Most Popular Pen"
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622:"Who Says $ 1 Dollar Won't Buy Anything Anymore"
548:
546:
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417:
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497:(1. publ. ed.). London: Phaidon Press.
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349:. The product also received many sarcastic
69:www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/stationery
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38:
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483:
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221:Four Bic Cristal pens and additional caps
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895:"Bic Pens 'For Her' Draw Amazon Flames"
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698:
696:
646:
443:
375:List of pen types, brands and companies
158:Porte-plume, Porte-mines et Accessoires
14:
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921:"At This Museum, Failures Are Welcome"
841:
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940:Liszewski, Andrew (28 January 2014).
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589:. Rockport Publishers. p. 12.
242:ball was replaced by a much harder
24:
25:
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634:from the original on 14 July 2014
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763:Lemon, Michael (28 April 2015).
704:"Bic Cristal in MoMA collection"
88:) is an inexpensive, disposable
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861:
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809:
797:. Haco Industries Kenya Limited
667:
554:"Everyday Icon #3 The BIC Biro"
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387:
13:
1:
1001:Everyday Icon #3 The BIC Biro
842:London, Lela (20 July 2020).
653:Smith, David (14 June 2008).
620:Larcen, Donna (4 July 1995).
380:
363:Universal Typeface Experiment
583:Rota, Matt (December 2015).
490:Fletcher, Alan, ed. (2006).
454:"Our Heritage, Your Passion"
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184:in 1952, and won the French
7:
1047:Products introduced in 1950
368:
313: in) without the cap.
155:) in 1945. "PPA" stood for
52:; 74 years ago
10:
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92:mass-produced and sold by
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265:The pen's dimensions are
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102:
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64:
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37:
529:The Museum of Modern Art
27:Disposable ballpoint pen
771:. Ohio State University
493:Phaidon Design Classics
983:of the Bic Cristal at
729:"FAQ – BIC AU Website"
679:Guinness World Records
222:
186:
173:
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157:
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134:Biro Pens of Argentina
104:Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine
84:and also known as the
522:"Humble Masterpieces"
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187:Oscar de la publicité
168:Décolletage Plastique
996:Museum of Modern Art
675:"Pen – best selling"
627:The Hartford Courant
227:Museum of Modern Art
114:Museum of Modern Art
1057:Disposable products
1006:15 May 2013 at the
531:. 27 September 2004
34:
1052:Writing implements
926:The New York Times
816:Vinjamuri, David.
343:Edinburgh festival
246:ball. It is first
223:
32:
1037:French inventions
596:978-1-63159-057-3
355:Museum of Failure
341:titling her 2013
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16:(Redirected from
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739:on 26 April 2017
735:. Archived from
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681:. 9 January 2006
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339:Bridget Christie
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875:. 20 July 2015
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951:. Retrieved
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873:the Guardian
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851:. Retrieved
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773:. Retrieved
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741:. Retrieved
737:the original
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660:The Guardian
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636:. Retrieved
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600:. Retrieved
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562:the original
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527:. New York:
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992:Bic Cristal
986:Société BIC
685:13 February
429:Smithsonian
260:polystyrene
174:Société PPA
163:László Bíró
151:Société Bic
144:Société PPA
138:Marcel Bich
130:László Bíró
96:Société Bic
82:BiC Cristal
78:BIC Cristal
33:Bic Cristal
1031:Categories
706:. Moma.org
495:– Volume 2
395:"Bic Biro"
381:References
192:trade name
328:Spin-offs
248:vitrified
128:In 1930,
47:Inception
1004:Archived
953:17 March
904:17 April
899:ABC News
827:17 April
801:21 April
775:26 March
710:4 August
632:Archived
602:26 March
535:13 March
458:BICWorld
435:15 March
369:See also
86:Bic Biro
994:at the
947:Gizmodo
769:OSU.EDU
558:Phaidon
404:23 June
308:⁄
298:⁄
284:⁄
274:⁄
147:(later
124:History
65:Website
55: (
18:Bic pen
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1014:online
879:4 June
853:4 June
848:Forbes
822:Forbes
593:
568:16 May
501:
351:Amazon
213:Design
118:pencil
110:France
795:(PDF)
743:1 May
638:9 May
525:(PDF)
468:8 May
345:show
1042:Pens
955:2017
906:2017
881:2021
855:2021
829:2017
803:2017
777:2017
745:2017
712:2013
687:2016
640:2024
604:2017
591:ISBN
570:2017
537:2017
499:ISBN
470:2024
437:2017
406:2024
225:The
76:The
57:1950
50:1950
1018:EAN
1010:at
322:USD
318:KES
279:by
229:in
100:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
