The Erasermate Pen, A Favorite 1980s School Supply

Remember how in first and second grade you completed all of your assignments in pencil? You couldn't wait until you were old enough to graduate to ink. It was some sort of school supply-coming-of-age thing we all experienced. If you have no idea what I'm talking about... feel free to skip over this entry.

Well, being the born-worrier that I am... I wasn't too jazzed about the idea of "permanency" versus "temporary" ink markings with my schoolwork. Luckily math was always done in pencil, even in college.

It's as if the good folks at  Papermate had me in mind when they created the Erasermate back in 1979. It was ink you could actually erase. Truth be told, it didn't erase as clean as a pencil would, but it still did the trick.

The early Erasermates had refillable ink and possibly a refillable eraser top. According to whomever wrote their Wiki info, the erasable ink took over a decade to improve and develop. I remember lots of smudging with the early thicker shaft pens. The newer stick style Erasermates worked a bit better. They came in blue, black and red ink.

One thing's for sure, the smell was unforgettable, not in a bad way and no I'm not a huffer. It just had such a strong ink scent that I really enjoyed. I know, I'm a sick girl.

Below are a series of commercials, I couldn't find one just for the Erasermate. If you decide to continue viewing the retro commercials, please be sure to check out the Bon Jour Jeans ad - notice pretty, strawberry blond "Jenny" from Kate & Allie and Annie on Broadway fame.