SUNSTAR
In 1940, founded by Mizo Kobayashi with the aim of manufacturing educational stationery. Creating numerous products with ingenuity and innovative ideas
Iconic & Enduring / From a 1960s cultural icon to today's viral hits.
The Arm Pencil Case, launched in 1965 with the catchphrase "Won't break even if an elephant steps on it!", withstood 1.5 tonnes in testing and became a household name across Japan. Over 60 years on, it is still in production. Today, products like the UFO Pen Case sell out nationwide. Sun-Star proves that great ideas — whether from 1965 or 2025 — never go out of style.
Playful Innovation / Products that make you look twice.
Sun-Star's designs turn everyday stationery into something you want to pick up and use. The Ukammuri Clip — shaped like the Japanese kanji radical "宀" — holds even the thickest books open hands-free and won the 2024 Stationery General Election Grand Prize. Neko Gom and Shiba Gom are erasers moulded as a cat and a Shiba Inu that gradually transform in shape as you use them, making you want to keep going until the very end. Metacil is a metal-tipped pencil that writes up to 16 km without sharpening; its Re:Metacil variant, made with recycled natural waste materials, won the 2024 Japan Stationery Award for sustainability. Each product combines wit with genuine usefulness.
Ideas-First Maker / Creative stationery since 1940.
Founded in 1940 and headquartered in Tokyo, Sun-Star Stationery has built its reputation on one thing: original ideas. Their motto — "Continues Challenge with Creative Ideas" — is backed by action. They host Japan's longest-running Stationery Idea Contest (since 1995), and 1 June is officially certified as "Idea Day" in Japan in recognition of their contribution. Multiple Good Design Award winners, they consistently turn unexpected concepts into must-have products.
