This post is inspired by emmmabooks‘s video TOTALLY SHOULD’VE BOOK TAG l ORIGINAL l.. In that video, they acknowledge that they were inspired by a previous tag, but this one is their own.
I’ve adapted the Totally Should’ve tag to stationery questions for funsies. I will admit I pick on Montegrappa in this post. I didn’t mean to, but their products kept coming to mind as I answered these questions.
1. Product that totally should’ve been made permanent.
This is completely self-serving, but I have to go with Pure Pens Platinum Jubilee ink. It’s such a gorgeous purple. I didn’t learn about it until well after it was discontinued, but I was able to get a sample from a friend, and it’s amazing. It’s such a shame I’ll never own it.
2. Pen that totally should’ve gotten a matching ink.
The Platinum #3776 Kumpoo. Not that it needed more hype, but it’s such a pretty turquoise that a matching ink would have made people go even more wild than they did.
3. A brand that totally should expand.
I’m cheating a bit here, but I’m choosing Wearingeul or Colorverse. Imagine if, instead of releasing 5+ inks at once, there were only 1-2 inks released at a time with matching stationery collections. There could be washi tape, stickers themed around the color or ink name, letter sets with a cute design in the corner related to the ink name but in the ink color. There are so many possibilities!
Granted, any ink brand could do this, but since both Colorverse and Wearingeul have already dipped their toes into the stationery world, they make the most sense to name.
4. A limited or special edition that totally should’ve been made by someone else.
Montegrappa did Barbie dirty. For a character widely known for burn-your-retinas pink with a history of outrageous outfits, the Barbie and Ken pen were boring.
So, if Montegrappa, the king of outrageous editions, couldn’t do Barbie justice, that leaves Visconti, which is also known for some pretty over-the-top pens and packaging. Here’s my starting thought: make the box a mini Barbie Dreamhouse.
5. A product that totally should’ve been tested more and/or improved before release.
This one pains me to say, but I have to go with the BWIPS 2025 ink. It reminds me of the old metallic markers where the color bled out slightly around a metallic overlay. I don’t know if the silver shimmer was too strong or if the blue ink was too bad, but it’s unusable as a fountain pen ink. Monteverde really screwed it up, and it shouldn’t have been handed out at the show.
6. Product that totally should’ve had an “ultimate” edition.
Montegrappa again. Their Harry Potter house color pens were… lackluster. This is the company of the Samurai, the Odyssey with a Trojan horse box. There should have been an ultimate edition for the Harry Potter pens — and yes, I know Harry Potter merchandise is a touchy subject, but since they were already creating a series of pens, they could have done something really fantastic.
Picture a Nimbus 2000 or Firebolt pen with a Quidditch stadium box. It could have come with a Quaffle or Golden Snitch pen rest.
Or, perhaps a rollerball and fountain pen set where the pens are the center hoops at each end of the stadium. The hoop itself would have to come off for writing, of course. And you could have a chest for the balls as a paperweight and a broom letter opener.
Montegrappa has made so many out-of-this-world pens, I’m rather surprised their IP pens are so tame.
7. Product that should not have been discontinued
Pilot, I will never forgive you for discontinuing Kiri-Same. It is the best warm gray ink, and I will die on that hill. If it had been my decision, one of the blue-family inks would have gone away given that there are so many of them.
8. Brand that totally should reduce their release frequency.
Benu, I love you, but your release schedule is exhausting. There’s been a release every week, or close to it, with multiple pens per release. I don’t even have time to decide if I want to buy a pen before there’s another one to distract me. More isn’t always more.
9. Product that totally should be redesigned.
Back to Montegrappa. I’ve mentioned before that I have issues with the Fortuna model. It’s a nice pen. I want it to work, but the limited number of thick threads results in horrible hard starts. It doesn’t matter if I have a “quick-draw” pen if it won’t write.
Ditch the chunky threads, add a couple of rounds, and give us an updated Fortuna model that actually works.
10. Product that totally should not have been redesigned.
This one is on Sailor. They hit us with shrinkflation before it was a thing. The redesigned Bungubox and Jentle ink bottles significantly pared down the ink capacity, without paring down the price. I much prefer the original bottles.
11. Product that totally should’ve stopped with one release.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Aurora should never have released additional colorways of their 100° anniversario. I will never forgive them for reducing the specialness of their 100-year-milestone pen. With three versions already under their belt, it’s now just another pen model for them to release in a bazillion colors.
Do you agree with my answers? If not, share your answer(s) in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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