Swingline
Encyclopedia
Swingline is a division of ACCO Brands
that specializes in manufacturing stapler
s and hole punch
es. The company was formerly located in Long Island City, Queens
, New York
, United States
, but is now headquartered with its parent company ACCO in Lincolnshire, Illinois
.
by Jack Linsky as the Parrot Speed Fastener Company, and opened its first manufacturing facility in Long Island City in 1931. In 1939, the company changed its name to Speed Products, and in 1956, became Swingline. It became a division of ACCO Brands (then a division of Fortune Brands
) in 1987. The factory name, Swingline, was a large iconic sign on top of the Queens building.
In the late 1990s, Swingline shut down production in Long Island City, New York, and moved the production of premium staplers and staples to Mexico
and began production of economy plastic staplers in China
. As of 2009, the all-metal 747 Classic stapler was produced in China.
cult-classic film Office Space
. One employee, Milton, constantly mistreated by his boss, has his favorite stapler, a red Swingline, taken away. At the time, Swingline had not manufactured red staplers for years (a prop department employee, named Ric Trzeciak, painted one using candy-apple red paint according to the film's commentary). In 2002 they released a "limited edition" series as a result of customer interest. As of 2010 a "collectors edition" 747 stapler in "Rio Red" is still available, though a "Carmine Red" S7074711 stapler seems to have been discontinued. The current (2011) packaging for the stapler states "the star of any office space".
In an episode of The IT Crowd
, Maurice Moss (Richard Ayoade
) is seen obsessively counting the staples remaining in his stapler. It is a red Swingline stapler, perhaps in reference to Office Space
.
An episode of Scrubs
features the character Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley
) speaking to a red stapler. McGinley had a popular role in Office Space
as character Bob Slydell.
In the beginning of The Simpsons
episode "The Heartbroke Kid
", Seymour Skinner is shown playing with army figures. A Swingline stapler attacks the army figures out of nowhere.
ACCO Brands
ACCO Brands Corporation is an umbrella company, created by the merger of ACCO World from Fortune Brands with General Binding Corporation .-History:In 1903, Fred J...
that specializes in manufacturing stapler
Stapler
A stapler is a mechanical device that joins sheets of paper or similar material by driving a thin metal staple through the sheets and folding the ends. Staplers are widely used in government, business, offices, and schools....
s and hole punch
Hole punch
A hole punch is a common office tool that is used to create holes in sheets of paper, often for the purpose of collecting the sheets in a binder or folder.The origins of the hole punch date back to Germany via Matthias Theel, where two early patents for a...
es. The company was formerly located in Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. L.I.C. is notable for its rapid and ongoing gentrification, its waterfront parks, and its thriving arts community. L.I.C. has among the highest concentration of art galleries, art institutions, and studio...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but is now headquartered with its parent company ACCO in Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire is a village in the Vernon Township region of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a suburb of Chicago, a city in the adjacent Cook County. Its population was 6,108 at the time of the 2000 census. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the...
.
History
Swingline was founded in 1925 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by Jack Linsky as the Parrot Speed Fastener Company, and opened its first manufacturing facility in Long Island City in 1931. In 1939, the company changed its name to Speed Products, and in 1956, became Swingline. It became a division of ACCO Brands (then a division of Fortune Brands
Fortune Brands
Fortune Brands was a holding company founded in 1969 as American Brands and later renamed in 1997 and split apart in 2011. The corporate headquarters was in Deerfield, Illinois in the United States. The company historically had a significant diversity of product offerings...
) in 1987. The factory name, Swingline, was a large iconic sign on top of the Queens building.
In the late 1990s, Swingline shut down production in Long Island City, New York, and moved the production of premium staplers and staples to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and began production of economy plastic staplers in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. As of 2009, the all-metal 747 Classic stapler was produced in China.
Popular culture
A Swingline product was featured in the 19991999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
cult-classic film Office Space
Office Space
Office Space is a 1999 American comedy film satirizing work life in a typical 1990s software company. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a handful of individuals fed up with their jobs portrayed by Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, and Diedrich...
. One employee, Milton, constantly mistreated by his boss, has his favorite stapler, a red Swingline, taken away. At the time, Swingline had not manufactured red staplers for years (a prop department employee, named Ric Trzeciak, painted one using candy-apple red paint according to the film's commentary). In 2002 they released a "limited edition" series as a result of customer interest. As of 2010 a "collectors edition" 747 stapler in "Rio Red" is still available, though a "Carmine Red" S7074711 stapler seems to have been discontinued. The current (2011) packaging for the stapler states "the star of any office space".
In an episode of The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd is a British sitcom by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry...
, Maurice Moss (Richard Ayoade
Richard Ayoade
Richard Ellef Ayoade is a British comedian, actor, writer and director best known for his role as Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd.Ayoade was born an only child to a Norwegian mother, Dagny , and a Nigerian father, Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade. Ayoade studied at St...
) is seen obsessively counting the staples remaining in his stapler. It is a red Swingline stapler, perhaps in reference to Office Space
Office Space
Office Space is a 1999 American comedy film satirizing work life in a typical 1990s software company. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a handful of individuals fed up with their jobs portrayed by Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, and Diedrich...
.
An episode of Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
features the character Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
) speaking to a red stapler. McGinley had a popular role in Office Space
Office Space
Office Space is a 1999 American comedy film satirizing work life in a typical 1990s software company. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a handful of individuals fed up with their jobs portrayed by Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, and Diedrich...
as character Bob Slydell.
In the beginning of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "The Heartbroke Kid
The Heartbroke Kid
"The Heartbroke Kid" is the seventeenth episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode first aired on May 1, 2005...
", Seymour Skinner is shown playing with army figures. A Swingline stapler attacks the army figures out of nowhere.