Mistake on Anti-Drug Pencil

.c The Associated Press

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. (AP) -- A company is trying to erase an embarrassing mistake it made on pencils bearing an anti-drug message.

The pencils carry the slogan: "Too Cool to Do Drugs."

But a sharp-eyed fourth-grader in northern New York noticed when the pencils are sharpened, the message turns into "Cool to Do Drugs" then simply "Do Drugs."

As a result of the discovery by 10-year-old Kodi Mosier of Ticonderoga Elementary School, the company, called The Bureau For At-Risk Youth of Plainview, recalled the pencils.

"We're actually a little embarrassed that we didn't notice that sooner," spokeswoman Darlene Clair told today's Press-Republican of Plattsburgh.

A new batch of pencils will have the message written in the opposite direction, so when they are sharpened, they read "Too Cool To Do" and finally "Too Cool."

For pointing out the botched message, Moiser earned his class a letter of apology from the company and box full of T-shirts.

Why does Kodi think the company didn't catch the mistake themselves?

"I guess they didn't sharpen their pencils," he said.

AP-NY-12-11-98 0712EST

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