When did felt tip become "Sharpie"?

[ChocChipHandbag]

Just that really.

Printed by a thread in which the British OP said she'd write her phone number on her kids' arms "in sharpie" when they went to busy places.

We know that a Sharpie is different to a regular felt tip but, yes, the name does seem to have taken over and its down to American marketing and the Americanisation of our language.

Its called genericization! Happens quite a lot particular in America I think... tampax, escalator, kleenex, thermos, even "Google it". When the brand name takes over rather generic name of an item.
Don't think that's what has happened with Sharpie/felt tips however as they are 2 different types of pen! Permanent marker maybe.

"We know that a Sharpie is different to a regular felt tip but, yes, the name does seem to have taken over and its down to American marketing and the Americanisation of our language."

It hasn't taken over from felt tip. Your argument applies to many things but not this.

I used to hear the term used in American films and TV programmes and wrongly assumed that they were referring to a Stanley knife.

Sharpie hasn’t really taken over from permanent marker either. Whilst all Sharpies are permanent markers, not all permanent markers are “Sharpies” since they may have the wide blunt tip

‘Plushie’ IME describes a soft toy aimed at an older consumer, often as a franchise tie-in. A teddy for a baby isn’t a plushie. The traditional American English term for a child’s soft toy would be a ‘stuffed animal’ or ‘stuffed toy’.

Different fabric too. Plushies are so named because they are made from short-pile velour ‘plush’ fabric. Squishmellows are a good example. Traditional soft toys are more often made from teddy bear fur.

It’s incorrect to describe all soft toys as ‘plushies’ IMHO.

Why do people always blame "Americanisation" for these things.
In the UK we say "Biro" or "Hoover" as generic names for "ball point pen" or "vacuum cleaner". Even though Biro/Hoover didn't start life as British companies we are the ones that adopted those names.
They don't tend to say Biro or Hoover in America.
In France (I think?) a ball point pen is commonly known as a "Bic" - again a brand name but used for any ball point pen.
Not everything is America's fault 🤣
(In reverse - most Americans seem to know what a Sylvanian Families toy is even though they are sold as "Calico Critters" over there)

A Sharpie is a type of pen- so it is being used correctly if it is a Sharpie being used

Like called your vacuum a Dyson (if it is a Dyson and not a Henry Hoover)

It's taken over because it's a popular brand.

Just like Sellotape (British) or Biro (Hungarian).

Not everything is America's fault 🙈

I have always been disappointed that "Hoover" became the generic term instead of "Goblin" - one of the early vacuum cleaner brands.
"Can you Goblin the living room" sounds much more fun.

Sharpie is a brand name for a permanent marker, just like Hoover is a brand name for a vacuum cleaner. Both words have come to mean more than a specific item of that brand only.
Felt tips are not usually solvent based, so won't write on all surfaces and will wash off. Sharpies are a US(?) brand which has only became widely available in the UK in the last 10 years or so. Of course we had permanent markers in the UK before that, but I think we would just have called them permanent markers.

Because a sharpie is permanent not easily wiped off like a felt tip

Different type of pen

Of course the biggest annoyance is people advertising "big box of Lego" for sale on Facebook but the picture clearly shows that is the Wilko Blox stuff 🤣

*CoronationKicking · Today 07:31

¢They haven't. A plushie is a soft toy with a specific material. Like that used in a squishmallow.^

I know which type you mean, but since I first came across it, I've seen signs in shops, at the fairground, stalls, advertising ordinary fluffy soft toys as plushies.

“A roll…?”

Me too.
I thought for a long time that the ransom note for poor murdered Jonbenet Ramsey had somehow been scratched into a pad with some kind of Stanley or pen-knife.
Now I find myself calling all permanent markers, "Sharpies."
So a complete change in understanding and use of the word over the last 25 years.

How old are you? Its been hoover for many years

The term “hoover” is a genericized trademark that has been around for decades — despite Hoover no longer holding on as Britain’s top seller of vacuum cleaners during this period.

Sharpies are excellent for labelling freezer bags. Before them, we used to order a special fine-tipped permanent marker from the Betterware catalogue or Lakeland!

I did a science degree where we called similar things "glass-marking pens" and they came from a lab brand. Perhaps they just use Sharpies in the labs now too.

And flip-flops are thongs!

Sharpies are totally different to felt tip pens. Highlighters are more similar to a felt tip but if someone called a highlighter a felt tip pen, I’d think they were very odd. Permanent marker brings to mind the chunky, wide tipped whiteboard style markers, rather than a Sharpie. When most people use Sharpie they mean a pen shaped permanent marker. I’ve never seen anyone use Sharpie in place of felt tip, white board pen, old style chunky permanent marker. Only ever a Sharpie (or an unbranded Sharpie lookalike).

I absolutely love Sharpies! I have a load at home and use them all the time. Handy for writing on those things that say "use within 6 weeks" and you can't remember for the life of you when you opened it.

Completely and utterly different to felt tips.

Back in the dim and distant the first popular brand of felt pen in the UK was Magic Marker, they had a glass body! like a little bottle. In the 60's and 70's Magic Marker was a term frequently used for felt pen.

Sharpie is an American brand that didn't really appear in a big way here until the 2000's, they are so ubiquitous that the name has become used in popular culture.

Other things we say commonly, which are actually brand names are say Hoover, Sellotape, Dictaphone, Post-It etc..

If you love sharpies try Milwaukee Inkzall, 10 times better!

I have a Sharpie with a finer tip and a press button top. It is very useful.