 It has become the archetypal ballpoint pen and is considered ubiquitous, to the extent that the Museum of Modern Art has made it a permanent part of its collection.Its hexagonal form and design mimics a classic lead pencil and it is sold in 6 types of point and 18 colors around the world.In 1944, near the end of the Second World War, entrepreneur Marcel Bich bought a factory in Clichy, a suburb north of Paris, and with business partner Edouard Buffard founded "Société PPA" (later "Société Bic") in 1945.