Gelly Roll & the Y2K Gel Pen Fad

In 1999, Asra Q. Nomani of The Wall Street Journal made a strange observation: “All over America, kids are turning themselves and pals into graffiti walls. They are drawing pictures and scrawling notes all over hands, arms, ankles, even cheeks.” And they were doing so with the help of a pen. A gel pen. This is the story of Gelly Roll and the gel pen fad of the late 19900s and early 2000s.

Sources:
“Pen Pals,” Patrick Cerasard, Press and Sun-Bulletin, Sep 7, 1998

“‘Gellies’ Conquer America’s Wallets As Kids Turn Art Pen Into New Fad,” Asra Q. Nomani,
The Wall Street Journal, Jun 15, 1999

“Cheap Thrills in Living Color,” The Courier-Journal, Jun 21, 1999

“Pens Roll in as Latest Craze,” Mary Ethridge, The Akron Beacon Journal, Jul 10, 1999

“Skin Art Takes Kids by Storm,” Kellie Taylor, The Des Moines Register, Jul 20, 1999

“What’s Cool in Back to School,” Peggy Matthews, The Times Recorder, Aug 6, 1999

“Pink Asks Teens to Pen Her Next Song,” Jim Purdy, Arizona Daily Star, Mar 17, 2000

“How Does It Work,” The State, May 13, 2000

“Gel Pens Usher in New Age of Good Penmanship,” Guy Keeler, Fresno Bee via The Herald-News, Nov 12, 2000

“Teachers Lining Up Against Popular Gel Pens,” Amy Hetzner, Knight Ridder Newspapers via Messenger-Inquirer, Jun 6, 2001

“When Buying School Supplies, Follow Directions,” Scripps Howard News Service and the Leader-Telegram, Jul 19, 2001

“Schools Banning Gel Pens,” Fern Shen, The Washington Post via the Charlotte Observer, Sep 4, 2001

“Consider This Cool Stuff for Under Your Tree,” Press Enterprise, Dec 3, 2001

“Getting in Gear for School,” Rosa Salter, The Morning Call, Aug 26, 2002

“An Introduction to Gel Inks: History and Analysis,” Heidi H. Harralson, Darlene C. Florence, Joseph G. Barabe, Journal of Forensic Document Examination, January 2005

“30 Years of Gel Ink Technology,” Sakura website, 2014