Is Sharpie a subsidiary of Newell Brands?

No. Sharpie is not a separate subsidiary. It is a brand within Newell Brands' Learning and Development segment. Newell owns the brand outright and manages it through its corporate structure in Atlanta, Georgia.

Is Sharpie publicly traded?

Sharpie itself is not publicly traded. Parent company Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL) is publicly traded. Investors who buy NWL shares own a stake in all of Newell's brands, including Sharpie.

When was Sharpie invented?

Sharpie was introduced in 1964 by Sanford Ink Company. The original Sharpie was the first pen-style permanent marker. Sanford had been founded in 1857 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and had been making ink and writing products for over a century before launching the Sharpie.

Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: NWL) owns Sharpie. Newell acquired Sanford Corporation, Sharpie's parent company, on February 14, 1992, for approximately $225 million in stock.

What is Sharpie's market position?

Sharpie holds an estimated 60% or greater share of the U.S. permanent marker category. The brand is sold in more than 100 countries and has become so dominant that "Sharpie" is commonly used as a generic term for permanent markers.

Are Sharpie markers toxic?

Sharpie markers comply with ASTM D-4236 standards for chronic toxicity and carry the AP (Approved Product) seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute. The ink is certified safe for its intended use. However, markers contain VOCs and solvents, and are not intended for use on skin or for ingestion.

Household & Consumer Goods

Who Owns Sharpie?

Sharpie is owned by Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL), a publicly traded American consumer goods company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Newell acquired Sharpie's parent company, Sanford Corporation, in 1992. Sharpie was introduced in 1964 by Sanford Ink Company as the first pen-style permanent marker. Newell Brands reported net sales of approximately $7.7 billion in FY2024. Sharpie is not a separate company; it is a brand within Newell's Learning and Development segment.

Parent Company

Newell Brands Inc.

Acquired

1992

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Sharpie Timeline

1903

Newell Brands Inc.

Parent company established in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Founded

1964

Sharpie

Founded by Sanford Ink Company

Founded

1992

Acquired by Newell Brands Inc.

Newell Brands Inc. acquired Sharpie

Acquired

budgetmass marketGlobalall-agessustainable materialsrecycled contentenergy efficientOfficial Website

Who Owns Sharpie?

Parent Company: Newell Brands Inc.
Ownership Type: Wholly owned
Acquisition Year: 1992
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: NWL

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Sharpie	Newell Brands Inc.	Wholly owned

Where to Buy

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Sharpie on Amazon

History of Sharpie

Founded: 1964
Founders: Sanford Ink Company
Acquired by Newell Brands Inc.: 1992

Sharpie's story begins with Sanford Manufacturing Company, founded in 1857 by Frederick W. Redington and William H. Sanford Jr. in Worcester, Massachusetts. The company moved to Chicago in 1866 and was renamed Sanford Ink Company in 1940. Sanford spent over a century producing ink and writing products before creating the marker that would become a household name.

In 1964, Sanford introduced the Sharpie as the first pen-style permanent marker. It wrote on glass, wood, metal, plastic, and almost any other surface. The original Sharpie used a felt tip and permanent ink that was both water-resistant and fade-resistant. Early marketing targeted industrial and commercial users, but the product quickly crossed into consumer markets. Johnny Carson and Jack Parr featured the marker on their television shows, giving it national exposure in its first year.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Sharpie expanded its line with finer points, broader tips, and a growing range of colors. The brand became so dominant that "Sharpie" entered common vocabulary as a generic term for permanent markers, similar to how "Kleenex" is used for facial tissue. Sanford went public in August 1985, trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Newell Company acquired Sanford Corporation on February 14, 1992, for approximately $225 million in Newell stock. At the time, Sanford had annual sales of about $130 million. The acquisition gave Newell its first major foothold in writing instruments and set the stage for decades of category expansion. Newell later acquired other stationery brands including Parker Pen (1993), Rubbermaid (1999), and Paper Mate's parent company. In 2016, Newell Rubbermaid merged with Jarden Corporation to form Newell Brands, a $16 billion consumer goods conglomerate.

Under Newell, Sharpie expanded well beyond its original permanent marker. The brand added highlighters, retractable markers, liquid pencils, and fabric markers. In 2024, Sharpie celebrated its 60th anniversary with a national campaign called "The World Is Your Canvas," which included pop-up events and collaborations with artists and creators. The brand also introduced Sharpie Creative Markers, a line designed for use on dark surfaces, which won a Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award in 2024.

About Newell Brands Inc.

What does Newell Brands own?
Newell Brands owns more than 20 major consumer brands including Sharpie (permanent markers), Rubbermaid (storage and organization), Graco (baby products), Coleman (outdoor and camping), Yankee Candle (scented candles), Calphalon (cookware), Crock-Pot (slow cookers), Paper Mate (writing instruments), NUK (baby feeding), and Contigo (insulated drinkware). The company sells products in more than 100 countries across writing, home organization, appliances, baby products, outdoor recreation, and home fragrance categories.

Is Newell Brands publicly traded?
Yes, Newell Brands Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol NWL. The company has been publicly traded for decades. Shares are owned primarily by institutional investors including index fund managers. The company has no controlling shareholder.

Who founded Newell Brands?
Newell Brands traces its origins to Edgar Newell, who founded the Newell Manufacturing Company in Ogdensburg, New York in 1903. The modern Newell Brands was formed through the 2016 merger of Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden Corporation. Jarden was itself led by Martin Franklin prior to the merger. Christopher Peterson serves as President and CEO as of 2025.

Where is Newell Brands headquartered?
Newell Brands is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The company moved its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia after the 2016 Jarden merger. Manufacturing and distribution operations span the United States, Mexico, China, Germany, and Australia, among other locations.

How many brands does Newell Brands own?
Newell Brands owns more than 20 major consumer brands. The company previously owned over 50 brands following the 2016 Jarden merger but divested more than 35 brands and businesses between 2018 and 2021 as part of a portfolio rationalization program. Current core brands include Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Graco, Coleman, Yankee Candle, Calphalon, NUK, Contigo, and First Alert, among others.

Who owns Newell Brands?
Newell Brands is a publicly traded company with no controlling shareholder. The largest shareholders are institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Global Advisors, which hold shares primarily through passive index funds. Individual shareholders and smaller institutional investors hold the remainder. Newell Brands has no parent company and is not owned by a private equity firm.

What is Newell Brands' revenue?
Net sales for FY2024 were approximately $7.7 billion, down from approximately $8.4 billion in FY2023. Revenue has declined from a peak of approximately $9.4 billion in FY2018, the year following the Jarden merger, as the company divested non-core brands and faced headwinds in several categories. The company's Ovation restructuring plan, launched in 2024, is intended to stabilize margins and return the business to organic growth.

Has Newell Brands faced any major controversies?
Newell Brands faced significant activist investor pressure in 2018 from Carl Icahn and Starboard Value, who criticized post-merger integration management and board governance. The company also disclosed material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting related to income tax accounting in 2022, which were subsequently remediated. No single product recall or regulatory action has been identified as material to the company's overall operations in recent annual filings.

Founded: 1903
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: NASDAQ: NWL
Revenue: approximately $7.7 billion (FY2024)
Employees: Approximately 22,000

Visit Newell Brands Inc. website

View full company profile for Newell Brands Inc.

Where Is Sharpie Made / Based?

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Manufacturing / Operations: United States, Mexico, China

Sharpie Categories & Tags

Markers Permanent Pens Highlighters Newell Brands American Brand

Sharpie Sustainability & Ethics

Sharpie's sustainability efforts fall under Newell Brands' corporate responsibility framework. Newell has set a target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2025 (compared to a 2020 baseline) and has invested in energy-efficient manufacturing equipment across its facilities. The company's Design for Sustainability program evaluates environmental impact at every stage of product development, from material selection to end-of-life disposal.

Sharpie markers are primarily made from plastic, which presents recycling challenges. The markers are not widely accepted in standard recycling programs because they contain multiple materials (plastic barrel, felt tip, ink reservoir, metal ferrule). Newell Brands has not publicly committed to a marker take-back program or recyclable marker design as of 2026. The company has reduced packaging weight and increased use of recycled content in blister packs and cardboard backings.

On the ethical sourcing side, Newell Brands maintains a Supplier Code of Conduct covering labor standards, environmental compliance, and anti-corruption. The company conducts supplier audits and publishes an annual Corporate Citizenship Report. Sharpie ink formulations comply with ASTM D-4236 standards for chronic toxicity, meaning the ink has been reviewed by a toxicologist and certified safe for intended use.

Awards & Recognition

Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award (2024): Sharpie Creative Markers won for product design excellence, recognized for functionality on dark surfaces and user-centered design
Official Autograph Pen of the 2025 AMAs: Sharpie was named the official autograph pen of the American Music Awards, continuing its association with celebrity culture
Newell Brands Sustainability Excellence Awards: Sharpie teams have been recognized internally for packaging reduction and material efficiency initiatives
Brand Heritage Recognition (2024): Sharpie's 60th anniversary was covered by major media outlets including Forbes and USA Today, acknowledging the brand's cultural staying power

Sharpie Recalls & Controversies

Ballot Marking Misinformation (2020 and 2024): During the U.S. presidential elections in 2020 and 2024, false claims spread on social media that using Sharpie markers on ballots would invalidate votes. The Associated Press, Reuters, and CBS News all published fact-checks confirming that Sharpie markers do not invalidate ballots. Election officials in multiple states, including Arizona and Michigan, confirmed they provide Sharpie-branded pens at polling places because the ink dries quickly and does not bleed through ballot paper.

"I, Sharpie" Economic Essay (2025): The Independent Institute published an essay called "I, Sharpie" as a response to Leonard Read's classic 1958 economics essay "I, Pencil." The piece used Sharpie's global supply chain to argue against concerns about economic complexity. Several economists and commentators, including writers at The Independent, called the response "truly ridiculous" for misrepresenting Read's original argument.

Environmental Concerns: Sharpie markers are single-use plastic products. Environmental groups have noted that billions of permanent markers end up in landfills each year. Newell Brands has not introduced a marker recycling program comparable to what some competitors and art supply companies have piloted. The company's sustainability reporting focuses on manufacturing efficiency and packaging reduction rather than end-of-life product management.

VOC and Chemical Safety: Permanent markers contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and solvents such as xylene or alcohol. While Sharpie products comply with ASTM D-4236 chronic toxicity standards, some consumer advocates have raised questions about long-term exposure to marker fumes, particularly in classroom settings. Sharpie's current formulations are labeled AP (Approved Product) by the Art and Creative Materials Institute.

Sharpie Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Estimated 60%+ share of the U.S. permanent marker category
+Access to Newell Brands' global distribution network across 100+ countries
+Shared R&D and manufacturing infrastructure with sister brands like Paper Mate and Expo
+Strong brand recognition: "Sharpie" is used as a generic term for permanent markers
+Backing of a $7.7 billion parent company with established retail relationships
+60-year brand heritage with continuous product innovation

Considerations

-Sharpie is not a standalone company; it has no independent financial reporting
-Dependency on Newell Brands' corporate strategy and resource allocation
-Plastic-based markers contribute to single-use waste concerns
-Competition from private-label markers and lower-priced alternatives
-Limited transparency on brand-level revenue and profit figures
-Exposure to Newell's broader portfolio performance and corporate restructuring

Frequently Asked Questions About Sharpie

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to Sharpie

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
ExpoSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1976	Mass market	Global	All-ages
Mr. CoffeeSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1972	Mass market	Global	All Genders
OsterSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1921	Mass market	Global	All-ages
Paper MateSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1941	Mass market	Global	All-ages
ParkerSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1888	Premium	Global	All Genders
SunbeamSister Brand	Newell Brands	USA	1910	Mass market	Global	All-ages