Zazzle Brights - A Highlight Delight

My name is Spudman and I’m an Office Supply-aholic. Haunting the aisles of Office Depot my eyes dart dizzyingly at the intoxicating cache of pens, markers, pencils, refills, dry erase items, and highlighters. So many things to see, so many choices, it’s enough to throw a spud into overload searching for the personal pleasure of that perfect pen or pencil. My most recent obsession involves highlighters, those bright, magical implements that make words bounce off the page - screaming look at me.

At the tutoring center I work with a diverse range of students, from kindergartners to high school seniors. Most enjoy using highlighters to some degree; thus began my search for the ultimate highlighter, one that would fit the small, stubby fingers of kindergartners, would have dazzling brightness, interesting and appealing colors, a smallish tip, and universal appeal. The great motivator was out there somewhere.

The first two products I purchased (Bic and the Staples brand) were disappointing. The Staples colors were as dull and dismal as a cloudy day.
The pen sized Bics were promising but didn’t deliver on that promise. Though better than the Staples highlighters, they were functional but just ordinary.
While clicking about on Ebay one day, I happened upon a set of Zebra Zazzle Brights liquid ink highlighters. These seemed different, the price was right, the stars were aligned in the highlighter heavens, and so I placed a bid ultimately winning for a shamefully low price.

A week later the highlighters were delivered to my mailbox. Upon first glance it was apparent that these are highlighters of a different breed. The ten pack of highlighters is packaged in an attractive, textured, transparent plastic case. The plastic cap colors are bright, vivid and in colors not usually seen in highlighters.
Of course, the set includes a bright yellow, but there’s also: violet, blue, light blue, green, light green, light orange, orange, red, and pink.
After a cursory examination of my goods, I promptly placed them on my desk where they lay untouched for another week or two.

One day before leaving for work the forgotten highlighters caught my eye, and I took the orange one with me to try it out. Among my students that day was a precocious kindergartner for whom sitting in a chair is anathema. Getting her attention and focus is a challenge for her teachers and her parents.

I introduced the Zebra orange to Miss X who immediately noticed this was no ordinary highlighter. She liked the cap’s rich color and the transparent barrel revealing the liquid water based ink inside. After examining the marker and turning it back and forth to watch the orange bubbles, little Miss X put marker to paper.

We were both awed and dazzled by the intensity of the color. It was brighter than the shine on the top of my naked head. I had found the Holy Grail.

Not only did Miss X. do the assignment I had given her, but also she asked to do more. She traced the preprinted numbers and letters presented to her, then wrote them on her own in pencil, all the time amazingly attached to her chair without squirm or complaint.

The Zebra Zazzle Brights have the Spudman seal of approval. They fit the hand comfortably, and their medium chisel tips can make fine or broad strokes masterfully.
All of the colors are terrific, their intensity increasing with a little pressure on the tip to release more ink. The transparent barrels allow the user to monitor the ink level and have mindless fun watching the pigmented (water-based) ink flow back and forth inside.

Zebra Pen Corporation was founded in August 1982 as an independent corporation wholly owned by Zebra Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan.. Its stateside headquarters are located in Edison, NJ. The Zebra website (www.zebrapen.com) is a great place to visit for an Office Supply Junkie. It’s easy to navigate and there are plenty of writing instrument pictures and information to be found.

The Zebra Corporation backs its products with a guarantee of satisfaction and quality. I haven’t had to put this guarantee to the test, however. I very much like these highlighters and wouldn’t hesitate buying them again after this fabulous set expires and is in highlighter heaven.
Looking for highlight delight? Try the Zazzle Brights.