Iconic stationery items Malaysian millennial students once had
BACK when we millennials were in school, stationery products were a big part of our lives. Without them in our backpacks, it was difficult to get through every learning session. Their very existence was crucial in helping us achieve our goals as students.
But since times were simpler then, these supplies also served different purposes. Apart from their functionality, certain school supplies were also used as tools for entertainment and bonding. So much so that they made up a bulk of most of our fond memories in school.
Hence, we at BUZZ have come up with a list of iconic school essentials to remind you of the good old days Read on as we relive your school memories with you!
Country flag erasers
This type of eraser was unlike any other back then! The country flag erasers were created to educate students about different countries. While it did achieve its purpose, many Malaysian students bought these 20 cents erasers to also engage in eraser flipping competitions.
Players would have to get top of their opponent’s eraser to be crowned the winner. Their uniform, square size compared to other erasers also served to make the game fairer for players.
Snap bracelet rulers
Although snap bracelet rulers are still relatively popular, these bad boys first rose to prominence among millennial students in school. Back in the 90s, 00s and even 2010s, these bracelets were in every student’s pencil box because they served as both spare rulers and collectables.
Some students even used them to playfully “torture” their friends by snapping it on their wrists.
Biodata books
Before there was Facebook and Instagram, biodata books were the go-to way to know more about your friends and crushes from school. Students were known to hand out their notebooks to friends in order to gather personal information like birthdays, favourite foods, colours, quotes and even their crushes’ names.
The details were often written in colourful pens and markers, while others even pasted
stickers on their profile page.
Multifunctional pencil box
But when it came to functionality and durability, the multifunctional pencil box definitely stood out. In fact, this pencil casing had other functions.
Aside from storing pencils, the pencil casing also comes with a personal sharpener, rubber table, scissors table, and tape station.
And if you are lucky, it will have extra storage space on the opposite side.
Stacking point pencils
The last item on our list is the stacking point pencil. Contrary to the regular 2B and 3B pencils, students were not required to sharpen the end. All they had to do after the lead became blunt, was to simply remove the current pencil tip and top it up with a new one!
However, things can get a bit difficult if you were to lose one tip. Since the pencil retracted inwards after usage, losing one tip could result in the whole thing loosing its function.