Mark This on Your Calendar

The Magic Marker hits middle age this year--the big Four-O--but owner Binney & Smith insists that its famed felt-tipped color pens continue to find new uses.

For Magic Marker’s 40th anniversary, Easton, Pa.-based Binney compiled a short history of the pen’s greatest moments. They include treaty signings, cattle branding and--in the latest twist of the ol’ marker cap--sound enhancement on compact discs.

Audiophiles have discovered that by drawing a ring around the outer edge of their compact discs with a green marker they can improve the discs’ sound quality.

Whether that discovery will help boost marker sales beyond the current 700 million a year is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, Binney says it can count on more traditional buyers: “Drawing mustaches on pictures of relatives and celebrities remains a favorite prank” use, it concedes.