The True Story Behind Office Space's Stapler Is Stranger Than Fiction

Anyone who's ever looked up money laundering in the dictionary or had their souls destroyed while working for corporations will resonate with the characters in "Office Space." Mike Judge's cult comedy follows three disgruntled software company employees — Peter (Ron Livingston), Michael (David Herman), and Samir (Ajay Naidu) — who embezzle their employers after learning that two of them will be downsized. However, their problems pale in comparison to Milton's (Stephen Root), a simple guy who just wants to keep his red stapler — and one who's based on a real person.

Milton is pushed to the brink in "Office Space." He keeps being told to move his desk until he has to work in the basement with the cockroaches. His colleagues ask the poor fella to keep his radio turned down and his bosses don't want to pay him. With his professional life in disarray, Milton spends most of his time complaining — until he snaps and sets fire to the office building.

Milton's antics are some of the many reasons why "Office Space" ranks among the greatest comedy movies of all time. But how does the character compare to the real-life figure who inspired his creation?

In "Office Space," nothing makes Milton madder than his desk being moved. When he started working for Initech, he had a nice window view that allowed him to watch the squirrels — who were married — and enjoy himself. While Milton's situation is exaggerated for comedic effect, it is similar to the experiences of someone Mike Judge worked with during his own office employee days.

"He just went into this whole thing about how he was going to quit because they moved his desk again," Judge told The Ringer while discussing the person who inspired the Milton character. "I said, 'Well, why don't you want the desk to move?' It was something about his fish tank: 'I told Bill, they move it one more time, I'm outta here.' I remember thinking, they could move your desk 20 more times; you're not going to quit. He just enjoyed complaining."

Judge didn't mention if his old colleague pulled a Milton and committed arson, but at least he inspired a pretty fun character. Furthermore, the red stapler that Milton obsesses over in the movie has an interesting real-life backstory.

Prior to "Office Space," the Swingline manufacturing company didn't produce red staplers. Milton's crimson-colored tool was created for the film, as Mike Judge insisted that it had to be red. To bring that vision to life, prop expert Stan Gilbert acquired some Swingline staplers and modified them to be larger and more colorful, as he explained in the aforementioned piece by The Ringer.

"I just grabbed a can of spray paint and painted it red. Mike and the production designer say, 'OK, we like that, that's great.' I got permission from Swingline to make a vinyl graphic to put on the side of the stapler, because the logo was [originally] on top. I made a total of 10 staplers."

Not only did Swingline give the filmmakers permission to modify their equipment, but the red stapler in "Office Space" actually inspired the company to make some. Judge's movie made staplers cool, and the corporation took full advantage of it.

Mike Judge's "Office Space" inspired a $300,000 copycat theft, which is one of the more extreme examples of the film's influence on the public. Still, "Office Space" teaches us that it feels good to be a gangster, so some crimes were to be expected following its release. Fortunately, the movie also inspired some legal money-making activities, with the stapler industry really benefiting from it.

In 2002, Swingline introduced a red stapler that's currently available to purchase on Amazon and other outlets. We have Judge's movie to thank for bringing more vibrancy and color to these previously dull office supplies, which used to be sold exclusively black and gray.

Since the movie came out, the cast has reunited for a Walmart commercial centered around Black Friday deals, further illustrating how "Office Space" has influenced non-film-related commerce. Elsewhere, "NCIS" features an "Office Space" reference, proving that Judge's film's influence is everlasting on our cultural imagination. 

If you enjoyed this article, find out what happened to Milton from "Office Space" after the movie.