On May 23, 1955, Pelikan entered the market of school fountain pens with model 120. The model was modified from adult fountain pen (model 140), and had a piston filler mechanism.

In 1959, Pelikan conducted a large scale survey regarding writing education in schools (Pelikan Schreibgeräte, 万年筆評価の部屋). Based on the results, Pelikan developed the school pens of the next generation, and named it "Pelikano". Pelikano was modified from adult fountain pen (model P1), but the model adopted a cartridge filling mechanism, easy for even children to handle. The model was the first cartridge pen from Pelikan. Pelikano was launched on March 22, 1960, and sold together with 120 (e.g. "PELIKANO Schulfüller mit verdeckter edelstahlfeder (PELIKANO school fountain pen with concealed stainless steel nib)" and "Schulefüller 120" (Pelikan catalog No.100A/4 (1962)), "Kolben (piston) -Schulfüller 120" and "Patronen (cartridge) -Schulfüller Pelikano" (Pelikan catalog No.110B (1963)).

Pelikano, modified from P1, had a hooded steel nib (Fig.3)⁽¹⁾ with Pelikan thermic-regulator. Even with a child's hot hand, the Pelikano did not leak ink. The most important difference between Pelikano and P1 was that Pelikano was a cartridge filler. At the rear end of the feed, there is a protrusion not found on the P1  (Fig.4) , which probably served to guide the ink in the cartridge into the feed. For users of other cartridge pens, the construction of Pelikano would have been unique (Ravens March Fountain Pens). While a typical cartridge fountain pen requires remove the entire barrel from the grip section in order to change cartridges, Pelikano had a blind cap in the back third of the pen that allowed the cartridge to be changed by just removing it (Fig.7, 8). Pelikano was supposed to use an international short cartridge. The advantage of this blind cap is that it allows the cartridge to be changed without the cap being removed and the nib being exposed. This obviously would have been a consideration for the children who were expected to use Pelikano (Ravens March Fountain Pens). The downside is that it was difficult to check the ink level in the current cartridge. Not only was there no ink window, but when the blind cap was opened, only about 5 mm of the rear end of the cartridge was exposed. To compensate for this shortcoming, Pelikano was able to keep a spare cartridge in the blind cap(Fig.8). This would have helped to cope with sudden runs out of ink. The barrel had a pinhole in it. This was probably to regulate the pressure on the cartridge inside the barrel. Thanks to cartridge fountain pens, children no longer need to open ink bottles to fill ink or wipe nibs with a cloth. Cubbyholes for ink bottles have disappeared from children's desks, and schools no longer purchase ink.

In Pelikano, the dimensions, weight, materials, and design were considered for children. The pen shouldn't be too heavy for a small hand. The cap tube was made of aluminum (Fig.5, 6), which was less breakable and lighter than materials such as celluloid or plastics utilized in the production of pens until then. The crown of the cap was omitted (Fig.6). The center of gravity was placed in the front even when cap posted so that children can handle it. The color scheme of silver and light blue was decided after the survey of more than 1,000 students (according to the survey, the traditional green and black combination was not preferred at all) (Pelikan Schreibgeräte, 万年筆評価の部屋) (Fig.1, 2).

In 1961, Pelikan introduced cartridge filler models P25 and P15 for adults based on Pelikano. Pelikan continued to produce cartridge filler pens for adults based on the Pelikano⁽²⁾.

Pelikan made great efforts to persuade reluctant dealers who were not used to the new nibs, color schemes, and cartridges. Pelikan ran the world's first TV commercial for fountain pens, which made millions of people familiar with the advantages of the new fountain pen. Finally, by 1964, Pelikano was such a big hit that production could not keep up. "Pelikano" became almost synonymous with school fountain pens (Pelikan Schreibgeräte, 万年筆評価の部屋).

Pelikan continued to research and support writing education and, based on the results, improved Pelikano. In 1965, Pelikan introduced new Pelikano (model 2) with a new, larger, curved nib, a new section and a sturdy friction-fit cap. Despite being a cartridge filler, it also featured an ink window (thus, the first Pelikano is now considered model 1).

Subsequent model changes of Pelikanos modernized their appearance, but the nibs, sections, and caps continued to be improved. A new type of nib that could withstand high pressure was introduced in 1968 (model 3). The nib was used in fountain pens for adults until 1979. In 1973, the pen was redesigned with an improved section, and a left-handed Pelikano was also introduced (model 4). In 1979, the design and nib were changed again (model 5). However, these changes made Pelikano too large in size and weight for first graders. So, the shorter, lighter, but thicker Pelikano Jr. was introduced in 1993, targeting complete beginners in writing. New colors were also introduced, including a more flamboyant yellow and violet. By the way, early Pelikano Jr. had an air hole in the cap. This was because of an accident in England in which a child choked on a fountain pen cap, and it was decided that student fountain pen caps in England should be at least 16 mm in diameter, or if less, have an angled cap or an "air hole" to allow for breathing (Pelikan Schreibgeräte, 万年筆評価の部屋). 

Note:⁽¹⁾Presumably, the nib was modified at some time point. Although Pelikan was not listed, according to Pelikan Schreibgeräte, the late nib of P1, P15, and P25 had slightly longer tines, and  and the visible area of the nib out of the section was increased slightly. The nib of my Pelikano seems to be the late nib (Fig.3).
⁽²⁾The colorful cartridge fountain pens that had been so well received by students were not so accepted by the general market. Despite this, Pelikan stopped producing models 400NN and 120 in 1965 and discarded their manufacturing equipment. Thereafter, Pelikan concentrated on "the Pelikano business". Moreover, with the rise of Lamy, a company that specializes in modern pens, Pelikan's position in the fountain pen market declined further. The popularity of model 400NN was evident in its re-release for the Japanese market from 1973 to 1978, but Pelikan did not have the necessary manufacturing equipment and had to outsource its production to another company, Merz & Krell (万年筆評価の部屋). This was a symbolic event in Pelikan's "dark" 1970's (Ravens March Fountain Pens).