Husky, Regular, Or Slim?

[Tommy]

I remember husky clothes for sale when I was a kid, but I never saw a pen advertised as husky.

 

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn133/tom1415/papermate.jpg

[penspouse]

Interesting.

[jmw19]

That reminds me of the growth chart my mom kept of me as a child. It was from Sears, and had their size charts helpfully printed next to the height measure.

I was always (and still am) a "Slim", but I'm finding I prefer a "husky" grip for my writing instruments. No significance to that, just a curiosity.

[jar]

And they all leaked.

[LDB415]

I was 7 then. My dad is a doctor. We got lots of magazines and after reading them they went to the office waiting room. I remember that ad but couldn't say where it ran although I'd guess it was in car magazines or Popular Science/Mechanics as those were the ones I mainly looked at.

[piper10]

The hairy hand struck me as funny.

[ZeissIkon]

Am I the only one who thinks the "husky" grip still looks a little too slim for comfort (even if it weren't a ball point)?

[Bearcat]

I remember once when my brother had to get "Husky" sized jeans...from J. C. Penney, I think. He was mortified. We were cruel. He slimmed down and was never "husky" again.

[LDB415]

I certainly wouldn't want any smaller than the 'husky'.

[Silvermink]

Am I the only one who thinks the "husky" grip still looks a little too slim for comfort (even if it weren't a ball point)?

 

Nope.

[pen2paper]

The hairy hand struck me as funny.

don't think there was much waxing as a practice in this era?

[Tommy]

I was 7 then. My dad is a doctor. We got lots of magazines and after reading them they went to the office waiting room. I remember that ad but couldn't say where it ran although I'd guess it was in car magazines or Popular Science/Mechanics as those were the ones I mainly looked at.

 

This was from Nat. Geographic.

[richardandtracy]

The hairy hand struck me as funny.

don't think there was much waxing as a practice in this era?

 

Waxing hands?!?

It never occurred to me that anyone might consider it. I'm speechless.

It's almost as unspeakably silly as men waxing their chests.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Hands waxing? Glenn Manning says try the "husky" pen!

Hands waning? Scott Cary suggests the "slim" pen!

[MJSchuelke]

I certainly wouldn't want any smaller than the 'husky'.

+1 on that... Which makes me wonder -- why were ballpoints made so thin in the first place (because they could be?), and why did it take so long for thicker "ergonomic" ballpoints to appear? This one seems to a very early example, and it's not particularly thick at all.

 

Waxing hands?!?

It never occurred to me that anyone might consider it. I'm speechless.

It's almost as unspeakably silly as men waxing their chests.

+1 on that, too.

Edited September 25, 2009 by MJSchuelke

[Pippin60]

The hairy hand struck me as funny.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that

[Johnny Appleseed]

I certainly wouldn't want any smaller than the 'husky'.

+1 on that... Which makes me wonder -- why were ballpoints made so thin in the first place (because they could be?), and why did it take so long for thicker "ergonomic" ballpoints to appear? This one seems to a very early example, and it's not particularly thick at all.

[...]

 

I think there were a couple of factors involved, if you will allow a little speculation.

 

For one, wood-case pencils established a relatively standard size that has been consistent for about the last century. For all the changes in pen size, pencils, which account for a significant amount of writing, especially for children and students, have remained remarkably consistant.

 

Mechanical pencils have tended to follow the trend in wood-case pencil size, with some excepetions (Parker Vacumatic pencils are close in width to their pens, IIRC). For the most part mechanical pencils are significantly smaller than their pen counterparts.

 

The trend in ballpoint size follows a relatively bell-shaped curve. Many of the early - 1950s - ballpoints were exactly the same size as their fountain pen companions. They were made with the same removable caps as well, and were treated as relatively high-end items. The trend of narrow ballpoints came along when there was a general trend for thin among writing instruments (look at the slimming of the Sheaffer TM Touchdown and Snorkel, the slim Targa's the Parker 45 and 75, etc). "Thin was in" during the rise of the ballpoint.

 

In addition, I would speculate that the rise of the disposable Bic lead to an association of pens with pencil sizing (note that the original Bic crystal disposable pens had much the same size and 6-sided configuration as wood-case pencils), thus thinner pencils.

 

Ballpoint pen refills, with their long writing life and narrow design, did not make for a larger ink capacity advantage, so their was no technical reason for a fat design (ink capacity probably drove pen size more than ergonomics in the 20s and 30s).

 

Mostly though I suspect they made ballpoints thin because that is what sold. And note there were larger ballpoints - witness the Parker "Big Red" ballpoints and the Sheaffer no-nonsense pens.

 

John

Edited September 25, 2009 by Johnny Appleseed

[FrankB]

1964. I was in junior high and usually read writing instrument ads quite carefully. But I honestly do not recall this ad.

 

Along with some of the others, speaking from the perspective of 2009, all the pens look typically 1960's skinny. Rmember the skinny ties and super narrow sportscoat lapels? In comparison to a Pel M-1000 or Delta Dolce Vita O/S, those BP's are toothpicks.

 

Does anyone else also notice that all the hands are holding the BP's with very proper FP holds? I don't know about anyone else, but in that era I had to grip any/all BP's in a straight 90-degree death grip and push like heck just to get ink onto the paper. Then again, maybe that is why I do not recall this ad. If I saw it, I probably ignored it.

[Silvermink]

What they don't know is that huskies don't have opposable thumbs anyway.