Dixon Ticonderoga

The Dixon Ticonderoga is a pencil model distributed by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company, which was originally located in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey. While their products are akin to those of similar companies, because of the company's 19th century origins and large size this brand name has long been a fixture of life in the United States and elsewhere, especially for primary school children. Recently they have ceased US production of the Ticonderoga Pencil, and they are now produced in China or Mexico- but they still cost the same.

In most office supplies stores, Dixon Ticonderoga pencils can be found as #1 (Extra Soft), #2 (Soft), #2 1/2 (Medium), #3 (Hard), and #4 (Extra Hard). Ticonderoga pencils have a green and yellow ferrule. There are also variations that include a black(noir) and woodtone(American Naturals) skin, a model called "EnviroSTICK" that are environmentally friendly and feature no coating along with the traditional ferrule and a green eraser, "My First Ticonderoga" which is thicker, round and geared for smaller children, and another variation with a triangular cross-section called the Tri-Conderoga. The company also sells mechanical pencils under the Ticonderoga name.

The company has its origins in the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company of New Jersey, an organization founded by Joseph Dixon and his son based upon the Tantiusques graphite mine in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. [ [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/368_tantiusques.cfm Tantiusques, Leadmine Rd, Sturbridge, Massachusetts] ]

As of 2007, the director of business development for the Dixon Ticonderoga company is Lee Corso (who is better known as a sports broadcaster on ESPN). Corso spearheaded an effort to develop a soybean crayon. According to "USA Today", his on-air trademark is waving a pencil to make his pointscite news | first = Michael | last = Hiestand | title = Corso penciled in for variety | url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2005-04-20-corso-cover_x.htm | format = Newspaper article| publisher = USA Today | date = 2005-04-20 | accessdate = 2006-12-10] .

The pencil's name was inspired by Fort Ticonderoga in New York, since the inventor's father fought there.