Local inventor debuts ‘PenSillies’

Rockville Centre resident and East Meadow elementary school teacher, Gene Vassel, demonstrated his invention, “PenSillies,” at the Nassau County Inventors and Entrepreneurs club showcase on June 23 at the Nassau County Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.

“PenSillies” are a set of three pencil cushions that slide over any writing implement.

Each cushion has a section of a body – head, torso or legs – that when stacked on top of each other create a complete character. Vassel has 20 characters in total, which can be mixed and matched to create silly characters, such as a Viking’s head, a sumo wrestler’s torso and the legs of a scuba diver.

“My students love them,” Vassel said.

The idea came to him when a child in his class asked to borrow a horse finger puppet when she took a test. Vassel noticed she was less stressed.

“[I’ve] seen a lot of kids stressed over the years,” Vassel said.

Vassel first met Nick Terzulli, the Director of Business Development for the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency, at the East Meadow library.

“Nick has been a huge help,” Vassel said.

Vassel said that it was a four-year process to start his business, and that it will really launch this coming fall. “PenSillies” are already sold online at www.pensillies.com and the Creative Child on 209 Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre. Vassel said he is talking to a distributor and he will promote his product at ASD Las Vegas, a trade show, in August.

Vassel gives proceeds to DonorsChoose.org, which helps teachers get class materials, and the Wounded Warrior Project. This past March, he donated PenSillies to the fifth annual Gina Giallombardo Benefit for Life Fundraiser in Rockville Centre.

It’s important “for a business to always give back as well,” Vassel said.