As school is about to start again in the US, I like many parents and grandparents have been looking at the countless supplies, new styles for notebooks and new styles for pens. This has brought back memories of my own school days. I remember when the ball point pen was the novelty pen, in those days we all wrote with fountain pens and the ball point was frowned upon by teachers. Then the novelty pen of the time was the one with 4 colors. I remember the thrill this was in school to be one of a few to have this fancy pen. Wow we could write in blue, green, red or black just with a click or a twist on the pen. Well things have changed a lot since then and pens have all grown up but the novelties have not slowed down a bit. So what did I find in terms of novelties this year? Let me tell you...

One of the novelty pens I found is pretty high tech and probably more useful than a simple pen. Imagine being able to charge your cell phone, or your mp3 player or your camera with your pen, and you can write with it too.

It is really a great writing instrument, with combines the practicality of a pen with the now ubiquitous USB device. On the outside it is an ordinary pen, open it (look under the cape) you will find a phone charger apparatus. Excellent for when your phone runs out of battery and you need to make an emergency call. A single battery AA will give you 100 minutes of charge on the phone.

The novelty is not going to wear out soon with this kind of practicality. The pen is available in most on line electronic stores and ranges in prices from $16 and up.

Another novelty pen that is good for some types of business and not to be used by kids is the cigarette pen. A picture is sufficient to tell the story. Ashes do not fall off which is a big plus. 

If you remember the novelty pens of yesteryears as I do, you no doubt remember the one that had someone undress in the body of the pen, when your turn the pen one way and dress again when flipping the pen the other way. They are still available, probably a little more sexy than they used to be and so you might want to be careful before sending one of those to school with the kids.

but there are plenty of novelty pens on the same principle that kids will enjoy. (I am not thinking about teachers here, who in general do not like these items.) There is a pen that has stars in the body. Every time you write with it, or turn it over stars move in the liquid. You can imagine what this will do for the kids attention span, but you can also see that to promote your business, with your logo on the pen it can be a very good tool. 

Did you know that one great way to release stress is to blow. Simply to expel air deeply from your lungs is a proven stress relief technique, and blowing bubbles is good for you. Well the novelty pen industry has obliged and will help you stay calm at work. One end of the pen is a good quality ball point and the other opens a little bubble maker. You decide which end is your most useful one while at work. Don't let the kids get their hands on this one or you might never get it back, and the teacher will not like you very much.

Back in 1968 we had Apollo 7 a space mission that most talked about for a long time. On that flight a special novelty pen went along. It could write underwater, at any angle and in hot or cold temperatures, even upside down,  in space or on earth. It was, and still is, chrome plated and while it is no longer novelty, it has remained since its first apparition as a novelty a very popular pen, one of the most reliable pens ever made it will float if you take it on a fishing trip and drop it accidently in the water. This pen known as the Space Pen produced by the fisher company has cost our government millions to develop and is a great conversation piece as it is still used on all space shuttle missions.

The list of novelty pens I just wrote about in by no means exhaustive. Many other novelty pens can be found and some of them serve a greater good, for example you might consider using "The Kookys Breast Cancer Awareness Survivor Krew" to help people remember that we are still looking for cures for cancer and that millions of people still need help. 

By looking through the different sites offering novelty pens you might find one that supports just what is important to you, or you could consider starting a pen for your own causes.