In 1857 Frederick W. Redington and William H. Sanford, Jr. found Sanford Manufacturing Company in Worcester, Massachusetts where they focused on producing and selling ink and glue. By the 1930's the Sanford empire continued to grow with quality products & strong distribution which helped the company to prosper. By 1940 they had become the Sanford Ink Company.
The Original Sharpie Marker Pen was produced in 1964. The Sharpie Fine Point black marker became the first pen-style permanent marker. Being able to write on almost any surface from glass, wood and stone, to plastic, metal and, of course, paper. NBC talk show hosts Johnny Carson and Jack Parr were some of the first celebrity endorsers of Sharpie. Over the next 20 years Sharpie introduced new styles & tips in more colours, the Ultra Fine Point Sharpie became the first Marker to truly write like a pen. By the 1990's the popularity of Sharpie had soared thanks to the memorabilia industry, autograph seekers and celebrities alike use Sharpie markers on everything from posters and trading cards to balls and clothing.
New styles & colours have constantly been added to the range and by the end of 2002 over 200 million markers had been produced. With successful advertising & marketing campaigns along side sports sponsorship Sharpie has become an iconic American brand of today.