Colorful animal motifs Children love Legami pens - but the hype has a dark side
Colorful animal motifs, erasable ink: the Italian brand Legami delights children and young people with its gel pens. However, the hype not only brings joy, but also conflict and pressure.
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- Legami has created a lot of hype among children with its erasable gel pens in many colorful animal designs.
- The reason: mistakes can be easily erased thanks to the heat-sensitive ink.
- But the pens also have a downside.
Bears, unicorns, horses and penguins - children's hearts beat faster when it comes to the colorful pens with animal motifs from Legami. The Italian brand has triggered a real hype with its erasable gel pens.
What sets Legami pens apart is their heat-sensitive ink, which makes it easy to erase mistakes. A great advantage, especially for children and young people. And according to the manufacturer, the gel pens are said to last up to 159 times longer than a conventional pencil.
The pencils are available in numerous designs - from panda to bee to koala - and often come with matching cases, which are just as popular as the pencils themselves.
Founded in Milan
The story of Legami began in Milan in 2003, when entrepreneur Alberto Fassi laid the foundation stone with a simple book volume for organizing notebooks and books.
Today, the range comprises over 2000 products - from stationery and accessories to gift items. However, the erasable gel pens have become the brand's flagship product.
The popularity of the pens is also reflected in the sales figures: the company's turnover rose from 76 million euros in 2022 to 143 million euros in 2023.
Trend also has downsides
The passion for collecting knows no bounds: Limited editions such as the "Yeti" or "Santa Claus" are becoming status symbols in the classes. Whoever owns all the models enjoys a high reputation - a fact that often leads to bartering, but also to conflicts and even theft at school.
As a result, there is a dark side to what is actually a harmless trend. A Legami pen costs between two and four francs, but the pressure to own all the models can be stressful for children and their families. After all, not everyone can afford to buy all 30 animal motifs.
This was already apparent a few years ago when Frixion pens came onto the market. They were also able to make the writing disappear with the heat generated by rubbing. But the brand never managed to create the kind of hype that Legami did.