Classmates: UHU, the yellow stick that sticks to all back-to-schools

Mullca 510 chair, Ben diary, or Eastpak bag... some slip into pencil cases, others wear out from being carried around, or linger at the bottom of a locker. Practical objects or style markers, they survive the years without aging. For this back-to-school season, Libération takes a look back at these items that never leave school. In this episode, the essential yellow and black German glue.

Before UHU, school glues were made from animal fats: they smelled strong, left marks, and didn't stick well. In 1932, in Bühl, Germany, pharmacist August Fischer invented a transparent glue made from synthetic resin, capable of bonding paper, cardboard, and even the first plastics, such as Bakelite. He gave it a simple, easy-to-pronounce name: UHU, which means eagle owl in German, a nocturnal bird of prey from the Black Forest, very close to the factory.

August Fisher's eldest son, Hugo, took over the company's sales management and introduced the glue to schools, sending samples to 36,000 schools over the course of five years, while also supplying stationery and hardware stores. The yellow and black tube quickly became a must-have.

But it was in 1969 that the cult object was truly born, with the launch of the solid glue stick. Compact, clean, designed for children, it immediately became a staple in pencil cases. "It's a very fun product for children and develops motor skills: it f