The Noris, then and now

Now that Pencil Revolution mentioned my blog posts featuring pencils on telly I feel I should add some more. Speaking of the Pencil Revolution: I also noticed pencils on Revolution – and I was shocked how carelessly they use the pencils as well as other sparse resources …but then they also didn’t really honour their irreplaceable pencils in Stargate Universe.

You might have noticed that my “Seen in the wild” pencils often mention my favourite pencil, the Noris. This is just because this pencil isn’t that often on TV. If I’d focus on the Ticonderoga I’d have a lot of screenshots to show – a big proportion of Malcolm in the Middle and The Big Bang Theory episodes feature this nice pencil.

So, today the focus is on the Staedtler Noris.

Not yet posted on Bleistift and in chronological order:

 

1975: Fawlty Towers (British TV series)

Fawlty Towers - Episode 2
Fawlty Towers – Episode 2 (Image © BBC)
Fawlty Towers - Episode 4
Fawlty Towers – Episode 4 (Image © BBC)

In episode 1 they are mainly using Staedtler’s Tradition. In later episodes the Noris is more common. In the second screenshot you can see Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) sharpening his Noris with a knife.

 

1977: Der Alte (German TV series)

Der Alte - Episode 2
Der Alte – Episode 2 (Image © Neue Münchner Fernsehproduktion / ZDF ORF SRG)

In episode 7 you can see Chief Inspector Köster using a pencil that looks like a Castell 9000, but today is Noris day, so I won’t show the Castell 9000.

 

1990: House of Cards (British TV series)

House of Cards - Episode 2
House of Cards – Episode 2 (Image © BBC)

They also had some really nice pen trays in House of Cards.

 

2008: Commissario Montalbano (Italian TV series)

You can see the Noris being used in the Commissario Montalbano episodes Le Ali della Sfinge / The Wings of the Sphinx and  La Pista di Sabbia / The Track of Sand in this blog post.

 

2008: Tatort (German TV series)

You can see the Noris being used in the Tatort episode Liebeswirren in this blog post about the Noris.

 

2009: Fangavaktin (Icelandic TV series)

You can see the Noris being used in the second episode of Fangavaktin (The Prison Shift) in this blog post.

 

2009: The Armstrong and Miller Show (British TV series)

You can see the Noris being used in the second season of The Armstrong and Miller Show in this blog post.

 

2010: Borgen (Danish TV series)

Borgen (image cropped) - Season 1 Episode 1
Borgen (image cropped) – Season 1 Episode 1 (Image © DR1)

The Danish Prime Minister and his advisor on a trip to England. Each of them has a Staedtler Noris in front of them on the table.

 

2011: Outnumbered (British TV series)

Outnumbered – Season 4 Episode 5 (Image © BBC)

There is a very small chance that this is a Fox Essentials copy, but I think it’s a Noris – The Fox Essentials has a white eraser.

 

2012: Episodes (British TV series)

Episodes (cropped) - Season 2 Episode 2
Episodes (image cropped) – Season 2 Episode 2 (Image © Hat Trick / BBC)

Episodesagain.

 

2012: Quartet (British film)

Quartet (2012 film directed by Dustin Hoffman)
Quartet (2012 film directed by Dustin Hoffman) (Image © Headline Pictures / BBC Films / DCM Productions / Finola Dwyer Productions)

I haven’t watched this film, but Sean was kind enough to tell me about it and to send me this screenshot.

 

 2012: The Bletchley Circle (British TV series) (added after this blog post was first published)

The Bletchley Circle (Image © ITV)
The Bletchley Circle (Image © ITV)

Comrade John from the Pencil Revolution sent this screenshot from The Bletchley Circle, a murder mystery set in the famous [1]If you’re into Cryptography or Computer Science you will have heard about it. Bletchley Park in 1952. I’m not sure though they would have used a Noris in H there [2]OK, it doesn’t have to be H – the Malaysian Noris has shown that same colour doesn’t necessarily indicate the same pencil grade. – Staedtler took the Royal Sovereign Group over in the 1970s, so the code breakers would have been more likely to use Wolff’s Royal Sovereign.

 

2013: Bach: A Passionate Life (British TV documentary) (added after this blog post was first published)

Bach: A Passionate Life (image cropped) (Image © Leopard Films)

I haven’t watched this documentary either, but Sean was kind enough to tell me about it and to send me this screenshot.

 

2013:

If you want to see a Noris being tortured you should head over to Bodyform‘s video (if you don’t want to see the horrible bit, skip a few seconds around 1:13). Rad and Hungry‘s boss Hen Chung posted this video on her Facebook page , which was then also shared on Bleistift’s Faceboook Page [3]The one I haven’t mentioned on this blog yet..


The screenshots in this blog post have been taken from different TV series and films, as stated above. I believe that the use of the screenshots shown in this blog post falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.

I’d like to thank Sean for the Quartet and the Bach: A Passionate Life screenshots.

I’d like to thank John for the The Bletchley Circle screenshot.

You can see more pencils in the wild by following this link.

References

References
1 If you’re into Cryptography or Computer Science you will have heard about it.
2 OK, it doesn’t have to be H – the Malaysian Noris has shown that same colour doesn’t necessarily indicate the same pencil grade.
3 The one I haven’t mentioned on this blog yet.

The Noris, then and now Read More »

Giveaway

To celebrate the 200th blog post of Bleistift: a (small) giveaway.

If you can tell me the link [1]There might be links I’m not aware of. The winning link is the one I’m thinking of. between the two items in the photo you will receive a small prize.

Giveaway
What’s the link between these two items?

Giveaway rules: The first correct answer wins. I’m happy to send the small prize to any country as Royal Mail is delivering to that country.

 

Franken BleistiftAnother cause for celebration [2]Except the giveaway 8^) is the fact that today is Franconia Day (Tag der Franken). Franconia is home to the well-known stationery manufacturers Staedtler, Faber-Castell, Schwan-Stabilo, Eisen, Möbius & Ruppert, KUM and others.

References

References
1 There might be links I’m not aware of. The winning link is the one I’m thinking of.
2 Except the giveaway 8^)

Giveaway Read More »

Birds in our garden (3)

Unfortunately, I forgot to post a “birds in our garden” photo last year.

Birds in our garden 2013
If you look at the size of the clover you get an idea how small this bird is.

Here’s one for this year [1]which is also this blog’s 200th post.

I’m currently unsure whether I should post another one …to make good for last year’s missing bird photo.

References

References
1 which is also this blog’s 200th post

Birds in our garden (3) Read More »

Keyroad

Keyroad on Fuzhou road

In my blog post about Simbalion’s Supreme Quality Pencil 88 I mentioned Keyroad, a Chinese stationery chain that I have also mentioned in several previous blog posts. Today I want to show you some photos I took in and around Keyroad stores, most from Keyroad’s store on Fuzhou road.

Keyroad
Simbalion’s Supreme Quality Pencil 88 and other pencils

The stationery on offer in Keyroad is not as exciting and high-end as what you could get in Meriful, but unfortunately Meriful on Fuzhou road closed down, or moved, in any case: I couldn’t find it on Fuzhou road. There are Meriful stores in other parts of Shanghai, but I haven’t visited them.

Keyroad
Even more pencils

Keyroad’s focus isn’t directly stationery. Their target group seems to be teenage girls, but because of this they have “designed” stationery, while common stationery stores tend to sell functional stationery.

Keyroad
A pack of smiley bulldog clips is only 12元 (~$1.95; €1.45; £1.25)

There is of course some overlap: you’d find plain pencils as well as erasers with cartoon pictures on in either type of store, but in Keyroad you’d find lots of colourful as well as imported stationery.You’ll find the likes of Lamy Safari or Parker Pens, but imported stationery tends to be prohibitively expensive.

I found more Keyroads than on previous visits – in new locations and also in locations where, previously, there have been similar shops.

Keyroad HongKou
The Dragon Dream Shopping Centre’s Queen’s Market is now a Keyroad, too

Price: May 2013

Exchange rates: June 2013

Keyroad Read More »