Pencil Bugs - About Me

"Made by a kid but not just for kids!"

How I started . . .

More products . . .

When I was 9 years old, I had an idea to make a product that I could sell at a craft fair. I've always liked school. I get good grades but I know school is hard for many kids. I started thinking about ways to make homework just a little more fun. That's when I came up with the idea for Pencil Bugs .

With the help of my parents, we bought the supplies and made my first Pencil Bug . My favorite color is red so that's what I painted it. They caught on very quickly and before long, I was busy taking orders and making new ones on a regular basis. I decided on seven other bold colors to complete the set of eight that I currently sell.

I wanted to make them unique so decided to give them each a name and birth date. To keep them healthy for a long time, care and training instructions were also important. I decided that a Certificate of Authenticity was the right touch to include with each Pencil Bug .

I hand paint each head in one of the eight colors. I use twisted black wire for tiny antennas, glue on small googley eyes, and attach black fuzzy pipe cleaners for their bodies that wrap around the pencil. They are removable so you can still use the pencil eraser. In fact, if you leave them a little higher than the eraser, they're quite fun and boingy .

After a few months, I came up with the idea of making t-shirts to match and then started making laminated bookmarks in all 8 colors of Pencil Bugs .

I'm 14 now and am in 8th grade. It's been very exciting since this all started. None of us ever imagined that my simple idea would turn into a real business but it's never too early to be an entrepreneur. If you have an idea to make something, at least give it a try. You might be surprised at what you can do!

Having just three related products wasn't enough for me. About a year after I created Pencil Bugs , I wanted to write a book series featuring the eight characters. I asked my mom to collaborate on that with me. After many, many months of writing, editing and critique groups, and then more editing, the first book, "Zweeeba", in the Pencil Bugs series is complete. We are submitting it to agents and publishers but as I've learned, that's a very long process .

I have also written a business book which is with my agent looking for a publisher.

In early 2009, I had a fun idea. What about greeting cards featuring the Pencil Bugs characters? So that's what we did. My mom and I designed cartoon-like Pencil Bugs cards. I keep adding more all the time. I also have birthday invitations and thank you cards.

I have a working prototype for a board game that's really fun and a concept for a video game. Since original Pencil Bugs are not recommended for small children, parents will be able to buy a plush toy version in the future .

My ideas don't stop there. I have plans for a cartoon series about Pencil Bugs and who knows? Maybe one day there will be "Pencil Bugs: The Movie."

"Kids can do amazing things!"