Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Elizabeth White’s Post
PaperMate should be making Dave Hakkens a very wealthy man. He came up with the idea of an edible pen. *BAM* I bet you wish you would have thought of that. He put together a prototype that looks and works great! The idea first came to him because he wanted a pen he could chew on without making it look grows and all gnawed on. After studying the structure of pens he realized the only part really necessary was the ink, everything else was just a filler. And why not make the filler something more taste-y? He then took a lot of different types of pens/pencils and hard candy, made three different molds and tested different candies. It came down to how the candy broke and which was best to chew on. The candy that was chosen didn't turn sticky, or melt in your hand (apparently it's like candy jewelry, put together) -- even the ink is edible. You can either put a re-fill in the pen or throw it away, depending on if the candy or the ink runs out first. I think this is a great design, as do a lot of other designers and bloggers -- if you search Google for "edible pen" blogs commenting on Hakkens' design fill the first page. Not only is Hakkens' a great engineer (take a look at more of his concepts on his site) and, obviously, a talented candy-maker. Like I said, I kind of wish I had thought of this. He's got some other really cool concepts and designs. Check them out here: http://www.davehakkens.nl/portfolio
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what a brilliant idea. who would have ever thought to come up with a pen like this? I am not one who usually chews on his pen, but if I had something like this I most definitely would. Way to take an ordinary "problem" and turn it into something tasty.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the ink is edible makes this bank! He may have just made any type of drawing or writing homework enjoyable. However there will no longer be the need for dogs eating hw, now everyone can. Or I couldnt write it I ate my pen it was delicious. Genius.
ReplyDeleteI am especially a fan of this design, because he found a way to make a chewed pen not such an unappealing thing. I kind of reminds me of the pencils that are filled with lead that stacks on top of each other and when the one your using gets too small you pull it out, push it into the back of the pencil and outcomes a new piece of lead. No one likes to pick up a pen and it have teeth marks, so this is an excellent solution to an 'age old problem'.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a novel idea, and a great solution for pen-chewers and candy lovers alike. I don't see this as being extremely practical, however. I'm sure this would sell great, but I don't see this as something that would actually pick up and be more than just a short term-trend.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting idea, and definitely a plus for people who chew their writing utensils anyway. Said chewers should hope these pens are cheap, though... otherwise a lot of self control would be necessary to keep the pen at a usable length.
ReplyDeleteWow, you're right. Fantastic idea. I think this is when a creative idea has overpowered the design. What I mean by this is that the concept alone gives the edible pen bonus points, with or without the design.
ReplyDeleteI want one. Especially because of how awesome it would be during class one day to just subtly start eating your pen and see reactions. And think, hunger during class is now cured forever without the annoying sound that poptart wrappers make!
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