Repyy to u/bluestemgrass at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1thup7q/reink_ribbon/ RE: Ribbon for a toy Sears Holiday typewriter.

Before you go too deeply here, is the ribbon made of cloth material (nylon, silk, or cotton) or is it a plastic film/carbon type?

If it's the latter, is it a proprietary cartridge or typewriter spools? What width is the ribbon? Cartridges with carbon can be difficult if not impossible to find for these models.

It looks like it may be a Sears rebranded version of some of the Byron Jardine/PETITE toy typewriters. https://typewriterdatabase.com/no_info.525.typewriter-serial-number-database There may be an imprint of the manufacturer on the bottom which would help to identify the original manufacturer.

Most Petite typewriters use T4430 or T4431 ribbon (1/4" wide or 6.50mm) which can sometimes be found on eBay and other sites. It generally requires original spools. These were generally carbon/plastic based ribbon.

If you have the original spools, you might find someone who still manufactures carbon-based ribbon and you can cannibalize it to spool onto your Sears Holiday. Look around for some of the 80s/90s film-based cartridges meant for word processors.

If it did originally have cloth ribbon you might be able to re-ink it, but the process typically tends to be very messy. Generally some glycerine and ink meant for metal stamps (not rubber) will get you where you'd like to go. Some have also soaked their old ribbon in WD-40 as a means of rejuvenation, but this is also time consuming and messy.

More detail/photos of the manufacturing details on the bottom and photos and measurements of the spools and the original type of "ribbon" will help immensely.

If you get the chance, add your example to the typewriter database and include photos of the spools as well as measurements of their width and diameter to help others with these questions/problems in the future.

reply to u/LillieLogang at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1tacody/light_touch_jcpenney/

Before you go too deeply here, is the ribbon made of cloth material (nylon, silk, or cotton) or is it a plastic film/carbon type? And if the latter, is it a proprietary cartridge or typewriter spools? Cartridges with carbon can be difficult if not impossible to find.

There's only one Penny's toy typewriter in the database currently which may give you some idea: https://typewriterdatabase.com/1970-jc-penney-j6772-toy-typewriter.11484.typewriter I don't see these pop up often, but there is a related one listed on SGW right now: https://shopgoodwill.com/item/263548866 which may have some unused "ribbon" you might cannibalize if necessary.

It looks like it may have been a rebranded version of some of the PETITE toy typewriters. https://typewriterdatabase.com/no_info.525.typewriter-serial-number-database

Many of these toys are difficult to adjust or fix (if at all), but they tend to be very simple in terms of the mechanics, so you might be able to puzzle out what isn't working and why by looking at it with the hood removed.

Lego Typewriters<br /> by [[Herman Price]]<br /> accessed on 2026-05-09T17:29:08

A fake Lego fake typewriter?<br /> by [[Richard Polt]] on The Typewriter Revolution blog<br /> accessed on 2026-05-09T17:27:34

for - metaphor - Mr Potatohead toy - Picasso tadpole - Michael Levin

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 231: Petite Toy Typewriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Most Petite typewriters use T4430 or T4431 ribbon (1/4" wide or 6.50mm) which can be found on eBay and other sites. It generally requires original spools.

These were generally carbon/plastic based ribbon.

A Tale of Two Toy Typewriters..... by [[Just My Typewriter]]

Newcomers to note taking practice using tools like Roam Research, Obsidian, Logseq, et al. often see very nice and clean-cut toy examples of note collections which are impeccably linked and maintained. This may also be the case for those who publish their notes (or portions thereof) in public settings on the web. In reality, this sort of rigidness and beautifully manicured practice almost never happens. There are varying levels of messiness in actual people's notes. Beginners should be aware of this and not hold themselves to too high a standard and use this as an excuse not to practice and get their work done.

this is actually a fascinating theory and i betcha this is actually how the metaverse starts to take hold... people looking for better alternatives than zoom for virtual events, conferences, work meetings, and birthday parties online

this will merge with video games to create the metaverse

its hilarious to think of it this way