Fiskars’ orange-handled scissors: the accident that won a 9–7 vote
Finnish design
The orange-handled scissors found in a drawer in almost every Finnish home are a design classic – and their colour was an accident.
Key facts
- Designer: Olof Bäckström
- Year: 1967 – according to Fiskars, the first scissors with plastic handles
- Manufacturer: Fiskars; more than a billion pairs sold (Fiskars, 2017)
- Colour: the orange was registered as a trademark in Finland in 2003
What problem did it solve?
According to the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP), the shape already existed in tailor’s shears, which had brass handles attached to iron blades. They were expensive to make, so Fiskars asked Bäckström to develop a more affordable plastic version.
The engineering insight
Injection-moulded plastic handles and light stainless-steel blades turned quality scissors into an everyday product. According to MoDiP, the blades can be separated for cleaning by removing a single screw, and the shape has changed very little over the years.
What changed?
The story of the colour comes from Fiskars itself: the first prototype was made on a machine that produced the company’s orange juicers. Staff voted on the colour, and orange beat black 9–7. According to Fiskars, the red handles of the left-handed version date from 1972.
Finnish reality check · comment
Scissors that are always in the drawer? In theory. In practice, they’re always in the other drawer.
Editorial comment – not a test result.
Our verdict
A plastic handle isn’t an invention in the same sense as an engine, but as a product and a piece of design, Fiskars scissors are genuine Finnish industrial design. That’s why the label is Finnish design.
Sources
- MoDiP – Museum of Design in Plastics: Fiskars Classic scissors (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Fiskars / STT Info (2017): 50th anniversary exhibition (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Fiskars Brands / Cision (2017): Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of an Icon (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Finnish Design Shop: Fiskars’ scissors celebrate 55th anniversary (checked 14 Oct 2026)
