Noris spotting

A Danish Noris

Leave a Comment / Seen in the wild / / ,

The Staedtler Noris can regularly be seen in news reports here in the UK (stock footage of school kids often include scenes of children writing with a Noris because of its popularity in schools) …so normally a Noris in the news (BBC or otherwise) wouldn’t be worth mentioning. Today is different though: because of a football (soccer) game between England and Denmark this evening the BBC News at Six viewers got a rare glimpse of what is going on on the streets in Copenhagen.

A fan writing well wishes on a wall – for a Danish football player who fell ill in a recent match (Image © BBC News)

Unlike here in the UK, where the ‘normal’ hexagonal Staedtler Noris is most popular, this unrepresentative sample of one from Denmark seems to suggest that the Noris Triplus Jumbo, which is not a common sight in the UK, is more common in the land of Hygge.

The screenshot has been taken from BBC News at Six on 7 July 2021. I believe that the use of this image falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.

A Danish Noris Read More »

Noris 120

2 Comments / Pencils, Seen in the wild, Staedtler / / , , , ,

To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Noris Staedtler has created a special page for our [1]..certainly my and maybe also your favourite pencil favourite pencil. You can find it in the ‘Highlights’ section of Staedtler’s website (it’s part of the the ‘Discover’ menu item).

A typical ‘Noris spotted on the Beeb’ photo thrown in for good measure. (Image © BBC)

I wish this important brand and pencil could have been in the limelight a bit longer – by Staedtler featuring the Noris anniversary article on their landing page for a few weeks – especially in countries like the UK where the Noris is very popular and people might appreciate this special anniversary [2]The 120th anniversary of the pencil with then umber 120.. Addendum: I have been told that that the Noris anniversary pages will be expanded throughout the year.

The special Noris web page is a great read with lots of historic details plus some quirky titbits thrown in, like the record-breaking Noris color pencil that is more than 450 meters long or the giant Noris Obelisk in Barcelona. Unfortunately the translation into English seems to have been done by a computer, which resulted in the occasional information hiccup, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment you get from all the details. Addendum: My understanding is that Staedtler will get the translation issues fixed.

I feel very honoured that my best wishes for this anniversary are featured on the German version of the Staedtler website, next to Gunther’s.

Here featured in a report about how schools are affected during Covid times. Nothing says “UK school” quite like the Noris. (Image © BBC)

The anniversary details from this page are great, so I couldn’t resist and added some of them to the Noris page on Stationery.wiki.

The screenshots have been taken from BBC News. I believe that the use of these images falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.

References

References
↑1 ..certainly my and maybe also your favourite pencil
↑2 The 120th anniversary of the pencil with then umber 120.

Noris 120 Read More »

Boring dysfunction

Leave a Comment / Seen in the wild, Staedtler / / , , , , ,

Dysfunction

Staedtler’s Noris is near-daily occurrence on UK TV. Thanks to its ubiquitousness in schools it is sure to make an appearance in stock footage about primary schools. There is however a new place where you can admire the Noris on UK TV: during the day and in the evenings: in TV advertising for an erectile dysfunction blood test. Yes, I was also surprised they show this during the day. You can see a Noris triplus in two shots. First the lead is intact, then the lead is broken off. Subtle?

Image © Numan

You can watch the whole advertising below. I’m surprised that at the time of posting this blog post it only has 100 views. You always think that companies that pay for nation-wide TV advertising must be quite big, but maybe the company behind this is rather small or just doesn’t promote their videos online.

Boring

Image © BBC

On to the next topic: A buyer from one of my eBay auctions mentioned the Pencil episode of The Boring Podcast to me. I listened to this Podcast (or the radio show version) when it was new and I enjoyed it, but somehow stopped listening, even though it still is still in my podcast app. That was a mistake. This show originally caught my eye because the presenter is James Ward, the author of the Adventures in Stationery book. By the way, I never got a reply to my question what his favourite pencil is, but I might try again in another six years. The pencil episode‘s main contributor is Brian Mackenwells. He’s talking about many pencils, including the Tombow Mono 100, the real Blacking and the CalCedar Blackwing, the Noris, the Columbus and many more. Have a listen – and also have a look at Brian Mackenwells’ cool typewriter products!

Boring dysfunction Read More »

Upcycling with a Noris

Leave a Comment / Seen in the wild / / , , ,

Another Noris in the wild. This time: during Saturday evening prime time on Channel 4 ..on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.

Upcycling expert Max McMurdo is using a Noris to design a floating home, built from a shipping container.

Max McMurdo using a Staedtler Noris pencil
Max McMurdo using a Staedtler Noris (Image © Channel 4)

I have added this Noris to the Noris in the wild page.

I believe that the use of the image from Series 5 Episode 9 of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, shown in this blog post, falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.

Upcycling with a Noris Read More »