Archive review: This retrospective assessment uses surviving Hirst & Hirst records and contemporary press material. It is not a claim that the product is currently stocked or newly tested.
What was it?
Suck UK enlarged the familiar wedge-shaped wooden pencil sharpener into a pen pot. The blade plate and screw became graphic details on the front while the open top held pens and pencils.
Design and usefulness
The joke requires no explanation, and the warm wood prevents it feeling like a disposable plastic novelty. Its square footprint also makes more efficient use of desk space than many sculptural organisers.
What worked
- Clever and immediate visual idea
- Useful desk storage
- Wood gives it warmth and weight
- Original price and maker are documented
Points to consider
- Not an operational sharpener
- Wood can pick up ink marks
- Large pens may obscure the design
Buying or collecting one today
Check for splits at the corners, missing faux blade hardware and ink staining inside the pot.
Hirst & Hirst verdict
Exactly what a good novelty product should be: instantly understood and genuinely useful.
Primary archive source: view the surviving Hirst & Hirst record.
Archive & sourcing note
Retrospective archive review. Hirst & Hirst no longer sells this product and has not retested a current example.
View the surviving Hirst & Hirst archive source (opens original archive).