Novelty pens

	These LED-fitted novelty pens from mainland China's Ningbo Highing come in six barrel colors.

Colorful feathers, plush bobble heads and color-changing LED bulbs expand mainland China's and Taiwan's design variety.

As the gifts and premiums industry becomes more competitive, novelty pen suppliers in mainland China and Taiwan are offering new designs to sharpen their edge.

Some mainland companies are employing unique materials and incorporating them innovatively in the products. Brightly colored feathers in different sizes, for instance, are arranged on a plastic barrel in such a way that the pen resembles a bird. Shell and rhinestones may also embellish upscale versions.

In Taiwan, plush fabric is increasingly being used to make stuffed toy pen tops. Models featuring animal bobble heads are best-sellers in this line. Skulls, pumpkins and Santa Claus are other popular motifs.

LED bulbs, which are manufactured extensively on the island, find their way into novelty pens production. A number of high-end releases illuminate automatically when the ballpoint tip touches the paper.

But while R&D focuses mainly on aesthetics, a number of makers are also addressing safety and quality. This is because a significant portion of novelty pens output goes to toyshops and children's stores.

Barrels are usually in nontoxic plastic types such as transparent PS, AS, ABS and nylon.

To ensure safety, more suppliers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are adopting EN 71-approved materials. Finished designs may also be sent to third-party laboratories such as SGS and Intertek on request.

	Ballpoint pen model 118 from Taiwan's Lucky Star features an LED top that resembles a siren.

Many mainland companies are creating new barrel shapes and playing up colors to expand their selections.

Shenzhen Acme Pen Co. Ltd's latest releases include finger-shaped ballpoint pens that display various gestures such as thumbs up, victory and hitch. Made of PVC, these come in bright solid colors, including dark and light blue, yellow, red and green.

At Ningbo Highing Stationery & Gift Co. Ltd, different styles of novelty pens are offered. Among the best-selling designs is the 701 model, which is decorated with pink feathers. The ostrich-shaped product has a beak and popping eyes at the top, and a cap molded like fowl's feet.

The company also has a line of flashing LED-fitted pens. Red, yellow, blue, green, purple and orange bulbs are available. The barrels are constructed from AS, ABS or nylon.

Similarly, Kingtoy Craft (Ningbo) Co. Ltd makes novelty feather pens. Many of its designs have ribbon-wrapped plastic barrels, some of which are adorned with real feathers from the US. A local version of the material costs 30 percent less but may not be as durable.

The company's KT-PN590B model is highlighted with a pink heart on top. It has sequins at the center and tiny feather accents around the edges.

Kingtoy uses PS and AS for its basic styles, and PP and ABS for the more-expensive products. It also imports acrylic from Taiwan on request.

Most of Pen Leader (Ningbo) Industrial Co. Ltd's novelty pens feature transparent upper barrels. These are filled with clear liquid and decorative floaters, including miniature dice, colored beads and capsules. The rest of the barrel part is in metal or plastic. Buyers' logos are impressed via silk-screening or pad-printing.

Suppliers in Taiwan are taking two directions under efforts to increase product differentiation. Most companies specialize in funny-looking toy designs, while others incorporate practical applications to make the novelty pens more functional.

Foluck International Co. Ltd is one of those adopting the former approach. Most of its releases come in cartoon themes. The company's Pop-Eyed selection includes models with animal-shaped caps in soft PVC. The eyes of the cow, turtle, frog and fish tops come out by squeezing the body.

Foluck also offers the Luminister line. Products in the collection have transparent lower barrels containing colored liquid and protected LED bulbs. The company utilizes EN 71-certified components to ensure safety.

Starting out as a toy specialist that ventured into writing instruments, Lucky Star Enterprise & Co. Ltd has launched pens fitted with motors that make them spin. It has also developed versions with color-changing LEDs, which flash once the tip touches the paper. Models in traffic light and siren motifs are available.

The supplier has launched nonelectronic styles with pumpkin- and Santa Claus-shaped caps.

At Blue Bond Technology Co. Ltd, releases in alternative themes such as a skull are being developed. Light-up, plush toy and feather pens are likewise offered.

The company uses biodegradable, corn-based PLA as the raw component for barrels and caps. While the output of these environment-friendly models remains small, Blue Bond plans to boost production by including US-sourced PLA as a regular material choice. It employs locally purchased ABS, AS and PVC as well.

Most of Taiwan's novelty pens have blue, black or red ink procured from Germany.