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The little yellow square

April 28 - May 4, 2010
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VHS tapes and walkmans may have been firmly cast into oblivion but another 1980s invention, the Post-it Note, is marking its 30th anniversary this month as popular as ever.

The little yellow square of paper that changed lives was actually the product of an engineering mistake by 3M scientists who accidentally stumbled upon an adhesive like none other that could stick and be repositioned on just about any surface.

It has remained among the top five best-selling office supplies each year ever since.

The three-by-three-inch (7.6-by-7.6-centimetre) pad has also evolved over time and now comes in eight sizes, 25 shapes and 62 colours, including the original Canary Yellow, sold in 150 countries.

"It's one of those things that can't get any better than it already is," said Syracuse University professor of popular culture Robert Thompson.

The sticky pad's inventors, 3M scientists Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver, were even inducted last month into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame alongside the inventors of synthetic diamond and others 'responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible'.

3M has launched a competition for students aged 11 to 18 to create original artwork out of Post-it products.

It has also kept a steady eye on the future.

With environmental sensibilities on the rise, 3M launched this year a new product line, the Post-it Greener Note, engineered with a plant-based adhesive and 100 per cent recycled paper.







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