Pens can write about toys, but at the Z WindUps booth at Toy Fair last week, vice president David Fisher exhibited a pen that actually is a toy.
The Z Writer pen, which is available in 12 models, converts from a pull-back racing windup toy (jet, rocket, car, robot) to a functional pen with the twist of the tip.
Twisting the tip back again, the pen sprouts fins, rocket packs, or wings, “then races across your desk or conference table transforming even the most boring meeting into a day at the races,” according to the Z WindUps website.
“They’re for nine-year-old kids to 59-year-old executives,” said Fisher. “They have 11 to 15 moving parts, and up to 55 or so parts, total.”
Three years in development, they were given a limited release a year ago after a lot of testing.
“We had to figure out how to get retailers to understand the product,” said Fisher, standing in front of a prototype display showing both open and closed versions of a Z Writer. Reaching for a sample, he twisted the tip to spread its wings, then pulled it back to spin the moving parts, lifted it up and set it back down before letting go and watching it roll across a tabletop.
A transparent version of the Z Writer is forthcoming, added Fisher, so writers/players can see how the cool gadget actually works.
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