One problem: Swingline only made staplers in gray and blue. ... A production designer painted it red, tweaked the shape with putty, and the most famous stapler in movie history was born. Released in theaters on Feb. 19, 1999, Office Space was initially a box-office bust.

What is the red stapler?

The stapler is a bright red Swingline stapler. The thing is, when the movie was made, there was no such thing as a red Swingline stapler. The filmmakers just spraypainted a classic black Swingline stapler... ... Fans began to demand red staplers and finally, in April 2002, Swingline debuted their red classic stapler...

What color is the Office Space stapler?

A candy-apple red Swingline stapler plays a prominent role in "Office Space," a dark, low-profile 1999 comedy about a fictitious Texas software company and the everyday weirdos who work there. One is Milton, who devotes his workdays to guarding his red Swingline against pilfering by covetous co-workers.