MB&F GorillaSharpener: when a pencil sharpener becomes a mechanical creature

Sometimes all it takes is an object as ordinary as a pencil sharpener to awaken the child still sleeping inside the adult. That is precisely the philosophy that drives MB&F and its now iconic motto: “A creative adult is a child who survived”. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D.Gallery, the independent Swiss house has teamed up once again with Caran d’Ache to turn a familiar object into a striking mechanical sculpture.

Named the GorillaSharpener, this pencil sharpener keeps its original purpose while radically changing its look. Gone is the object sitting quietly on a desk: it now takes the shape of a hulking gorilla, planted on its knuckles as if ready to stride across the work surface. A quirky, expressive and fully functional creation, launched to coincide with World Gorilla Day on 24 September.

From the classroom to the M.A.D.Gallery

Since 1933, Caran d’Ache’s “machine à tailler” has accompanied generations of Swiss schoolchildren. The quintessential utilitarian object, it has been part of countless drawing, writing and creative sessions, always with the same mission: giving the pencil a perfect point again.

In the hands of Maximilian Maertens, a designer at MB&F, this almost institutional object takes on an entirely new personality.

The principle is as simple as it is effective: keep the sharpener and give it a new architecture. The traditional mechanism is now carried by powerful gorilla limbs, lending the whole piece an almost animal stance. The GorillaSharpener seems to hover above the desk, as though the object had suddenly acquired a will of its own.

This transformation perfectly illustrates the approach of MB&F, a brand used to subverting established codes to dream up mechanical objects that tell a story. Here, there is no question of reducing the sharpener to a mere decorative piece: it remains fully functional.

A gorilla conceived as a mechanical sculpture

To achieve this very particular posture, the GorillaSharpener was first drawn in two dimensions. A series of sketches made it possible to find the right position before moving on to three-dimensional design.

Maximilian Maertens then worked on the casting and construction solutions needed to bring this mechanical creature to life. The result combines a zinc-based alloy, steel and chrome-plated mechanical components.

The Alpine Frost Blue finish gives the piece an instantly recognisable visual identity. It highlights the gorilla’s volumes and accentuates the contrast between the object’s sculptural appearance and its very practical function.

The GorillaSharpener therefore makes no attempt to hide its mechanics. On the contrary, they are an integral part of its aesthetic language. The steel and cast metal limbs give the sharpener an unusual presence on a desk, turning an everyday gesture into a genuine interaction with a work of art.

An idea born from Godzilla and King Kong

Maximilian Maertens’ inspiration is not without humour. The designer explains that he had been imagining the GorillaSharpener for some time and that the project followed naturally from an earlier creation.

In 2024, MB&F and Caran d’Ache had already given birth to the DinoSharpener, adding dinosaur legs to the famous sharpening machine.

Maximilian Maertens’ reasoning is as simple as it is imaginative: if the DinoSharpener reminded him of Godzilla, it logically needed an opponent of equal stature. And what character could better answer the famous Japanese monster than King Kong?

The GorillaSharpener thus appears as the latest chapter in a series where an everyday object becomes the starting point for a true mechanical sculpture.

A collaboration dating back to 2016

The relationship between MB&F and Caran d’Ache did not, however, begin with the DinoSharpener.

The two Swiss houses have been working together since 2016, the year they created the Astrograph. This spectacular writing instrument, inspired by the world of rockets, already demonstrated the two brands’ ability to take everyday objects out of their usual context.

The GorillaSharpener continues that same approach, but with an added dimension: childhood memories. The pencil sharpener belongs to that category of objects we recognise instantly, sometimes decades after last using one.

Here, MB&F turns it into a collector’s piece without stripping away what defines it in the first place: its usefulness.

Mechanics designed for the desk

The GorillaSharpener is therefore not just a sculpture of a gorilla. It is a genuinely functional pencil sharpener, compatible with round or hexagonal pencils between 4 and 10 mm in diameter.

Its blade is interchangeable, which preserves the object’s practical purpose. A mounting clamp is also supplied to secure the GorillaSharpener to a desk or table.

Its dimensions reflect the change of scale compared with the traditional “machine à tailler”. Without the gorilla limbs, the base measures 85 × 144 mm with a height of 135 mm. With the limbs, the whole piece reaches a base of around 150 × 130 mm and a height of 150 mm.

The object comes in a special presentation box that also includes a user manual and a set of Caran d’Ache wooden pencils. These are presented in a case specially illustrated by Maxime Schertenleib, a regular MB&F collaborator.

The gorilla as a symbol of creation… and of protection

The choice of the gorilla is not only a nod to MB&F’s playful universe.

To mark the launch of the GorillaSharpener, the Swiss house is becoming a partner of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, an organisation founded in 1967 by the renowned primatologist Dian Fossey and dedicated for almost six decades to the protection and study of gorillas.

In particular, MB&F supports the famous Pablo group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda through a symbolic adoption.

The Pablo group is named after the first silverback studied by Dian Fossey from 1974. Formed in 1993, it has since been monitored and protected by the Fossey Fund. The group now numbers around twenty gorillas.

This story was also brought to light in the documentary A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough, which covers the famous naturalist’s encounter with Pablo and follows the group up to the present day.

Through this partnership, MB&F aims to contribute to the protection of mountain gorillas, whose population today stands at just over 1,000 individuals. The support helps fund teams, equipment, scientific research, transport and the daily work essential to preserving the animals and their habitat.

The GorillaSharpener thus takes on an extra dimension: behind the playful object lies a genuine desire to contribute concretely to safeguarding the animal that inspired it.

The desk as a playground

At MB&F, the desk is never just a place of work. It is also where ideas appear, where sketches take shape and where imaginary objects can gradually become reality.

The GorillaSharpener fits perfectly into this philosophy. It is a reminder that an object as ordinary as a pencil sharpener can become the vehicle for a story, an emotion and a reflection on creation.

The approach echoes one of MB&F’s core convictions: creativity does not disappear with childhood. It simply changes form.

With its gorilla limbs, its Alpine Frost Blue finish and its very real mechanics, the GorillaSharpener turns a mundane act, sharpening a pencil, into a small piece of mechanical theatre.

A limited edition of 300 pieces

The GorillaSharpener is offered as a limited edition of 300 pieces, all made in the Alpine Frost Blue finish.

Each piece comes with its accessories and the special presentation box designed for this collaboration. It is available exclusively on the MB&F website, in the M.A.D.Galleries, the MB&F LABs and at the MB&F Lounge in New York.

After the Astrograph in 2016 and the DinoSharpener in 2024, the GorillaSharpener confirms the singular dialogue between MB&F and Caran d’Ache. Two Swiss houses that share the same conviction here: everyday objects can be functional, but they can also become genuine triggers for the imagination.

And on a desk, a mechanical gorilla walking on its knuckles may have exactly that mission: to remind us that the finest ideas sometimes start with a simple pencil.

MB&F GorillaSharpener specifications

Limited edition	300 pieces
Finish	Alpine Frost Blue
Materials	zinc-based alloy, steel and chrome-plated mechanical components
Compatible pencils	round or hexagonal pencils, 4 to 10 mm in diameter
Blade	interchangeable
Dimensions without gorilla limbs	85 × 144 mm base, 135 mm high
Dimensions with gorilla limbs	approx. 150 × 130 mm base, 150 mm high
Supplied with	Caran d’Ache pencils, user manual, mounting clamp and special presentation box

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