Stationery, etc. that rhymes with “face”
June 30, 2022 6:49 PM Subscribe
Is there a brand of stationery, pens, ink, etc. that rhymes with “face” and would have been available in the mid 1990s?
I’m writing a song that’s set in 1994/95 and I’m looking for a brand of stationery, pens, ink, or a related product that would rhyme with the word “face” or would be a close enough rhyme to the word “face”. (Something with a long A and a sibilant consonant is ideal, if a direct “-ace” rhyme isn’t forthcoming.)
FWIW, it’s implied that the narrator is lower middle class to middle class and lives outside of Boston. Something one could have purchased at Bob Slate or in Chinatown would work well. I want this to be shorthand for a character who aspires to be somewhat higher class.
I’m writing a song that’s set in 1994/95 and I’m looking for a brand of stationery, pens, ink, or a related product that would rhyme with the word “face” or would be a close enough rhyme to the word “face”. (Something with a long A and a sibilant consonant is ideal, if a direct “-ace” rhyme isn’t forthcoming.)
FWIW, it’s implied that the narrator is lower middle class to middle class and lives outside of Boston. Something one could have purchased at Bob Slate or in Chinatown would work well. I want this to be shorthand for a character who aspires to be somewhat higher class.
It’s a bit of a slant, perhaps even a fun one: Papyrus. They’ve been around since the 1950s.
posted by mochapickle at 6:59 PM on June 30, 2022
posted by mochapickle at 6:59 PM on June 30, 2022
Shows my age... the only stationary-ish brand that I can think from around that time period is Lisa Frank. Not an exact rhyme... but close enough?
So, if your narrator is younger, up to perhaps 25-30 and (probably) female... that might work. Because the "aspiring" could well be representing by her family not being able to afford to the cool stuff, and she could be splurging on it for herself now that she can afford to buy her own?
posted by stormyteal at 7:10 PM on June 30, 2022
So, if your narrator is younger, up to perhaps 25-30 and (probably) female... that might work. Because the "aspiring" could well be representing by her family not being able to afford to the cool stuff, and she could be splurging on it for herself now that she can afford to buy her own?
posted by stormyteal at 7:10 PM on June 30, 2022
Best answer: Spent a bit of time trying to refresh my memories by checking vintage stationery on Etsy - would something like 'airplane notecards from a far off place' work? You used to be able to get hotel stationery or some on international flights.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:25 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cobaltnine at 7:25 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I too immediately thought of Lisa Frank and can’t help but think that there must be something in that catalog of unicorns and rainbows that rhymes.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:49 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 7:49 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I know Bob Slate has carried Crane (and Co.) stationery for many, many years; they certainly had some when I started becoming a more regular patron in the late '90s/early '00s. Definitely more on the formal-posh-resume-grandmother side of things; I don't know if you're looking for more trendy or more classic in your aspirational stationery items.
Another option I've bought there with a long-a brand name: Sheaffer pens? Fountain pens definitely had a moment in the mid-90s, especially the ones with pretty outsides (though Sheaffer was pretty staid IIRC, Waterman was the trendy brand with ~*marble-look barrels*~).
posted by Pandora Kouti at 8:02 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Another option I've bought there with a long-a brand name: Sheaffer pens? Fountain pens definitely had a moment in the mid-90s, especially the ones with pretty outsides (though Sheaffer was pretty staid IIRC, Waterman was the trendy brand with ~*marble-look barrels*~).
posted by Pandora Kouti at 8:02 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
The British answer would have been Paperchase, especially for the mid-90s, and though I know they expanded to the US for a while I have no idea when.
posted by holgate at 8:08 PM on June 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by holgate at 8:08 PM on June 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
I too immediately thought of Lisa Frank and can’t help but think that there must be something in that catalog of unicorns and rainbows that rhymes.
a Lisa Frank folder with pizza in space
Caboodles Case
(and if you have more syllables, Gelly Roll pens in a Caboodles case was a dream goal)
posted by phunniemee at 8:39 PM on June 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
a Lisa Frank folder with pizza in space
Caboodles Case
(and if you have more syllables, Gelly Roll pens in a Caboodles case was a dream goal)
posted by phunniemee at 8:39 PM on June 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
Since it's a song and meant to be heard ,not read, I would enjamb the line and just use the word stationary itself with the most evocative brand, like:
na na na na face/
na na na (brand name) staysh- ionary
posted by ojocaliente at 9:21 PM on June 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
na na na na face/
na na na (brand name) staysh- ionary
posted by ojocaliente at 9:21 PM on June 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I wish Clairefontaine rhymed, since that was definitely a brand-name but achievable option for notebooks in 1990s NYC.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:00 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:00 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I’d like to point out that fountain pens are still having a moment.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2022
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
Dry-erase
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:56 PM on June 30, 2022 [2 favorites]