Coastin Carl
National CRAYON Day ORIGIN & HISTORY
Crayons have a rich colorful history in our own lives from our own beloved creations as well as throughout history.Β Why is crayon day on March 31st? Since 1902, which is when Crayola started they have introduced 120 colors to the world. A color that Crayola is going to retire is often done and celebrated on this day. Perhaps you have a special work of art that you have kept for sentimental value. Maybe take it out and reflect on the joy and experience you had making the artwork or perhaps color something in crayon today. National CRAYON Day is celebrated on the 31st Day in March.
Crayons are great because they are used often by children in learning to color and write. They are made from paraffin wax pigments. Typically a standard crayon is 3.5 inches. The word crayon comes from the French word craie meaning wax. This is the first part of how Crayola got its name.
The usage of crayons dates back to ancient Roman times by a Roman scholar named Pliny the Elder. Today crayons have their early origins that got started in France. They were made mostly from charcoal and shaped cylindrically, and contained various types of pigments which created different degrees of shading. Leonardo Davinci was said to use crayons in his works as early as 1495. Conte crayons were largely popular in France before the 19th century. They are similar to a graphite pencil which creates a thick dense line. This type of crayon was used by artists in Paris. They were also used in lithographs. They are similar to the crayon of today. In the early 19th century charcoal was replaced by using powdered pigments.
With the idea of making crayons from wax. Crayons were now having the ability to be used by artists and as well as being used for educational purposes. People saw an opportunity to make crayons as being a lucrative venture. Franklin Mfg Company 1876 was one of the first companies that sold wax crayons. Charles A Bowley conceptualized the wax into a cylindrical shape. His idea came about since he used shaded wax to give color to leather. He packages these in decorative crayon boxes which received a lot of popularity very quickly. In 1902 he partnered with the American Crayon Company.
The founder of Crayolaβs name is Edwin Binney. Prior to starting his company he made lampblack using whale blubber and carbon black soot. This is what started the idea in Binneyβs mind to create Crayola. The name Crayola came from Binneyβs wife. She took the name because Craie is the French word getting its derivation from Latin meaning chalk and oleaginous from the name paraffin wax. Crayola stands out as the leader in making coloring a happy world with its vivid crayons. There are also many other crayon companies worldwide.
Crayola makes quality coloring products. Crayons seem to give people joy. It seems so many people love coloring with crayons. This expression of coloring with crayons and its many useful applications gives us a reason to cheer Crayons on March 31.
HOW to Celebrate & Observe National CRAYON Day?
Not sure how to LOVE the day? We’ve got a few interesting ideas to consider that may help get you started.
Here are some activities that you can do on National CRAYON Day!
π VISIT Crayola
While I went to the original Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania USA, many more have opened up across the United States. These include Orlando, Arizona, Minneapolis, and Plano, Texas. Here you can create crayon molds, choose your color, and even name your creation by giving it a special paper wrap. I even saw Mister Rogers’ special cardigan on display along with the 100 billionth box of Crayola crayons he poured while visiting for the special event.
π THINK outside the Crayon box
Crayons are made of mostly wax, right? Why not take your old dilapidated crayon box and melt them down to form a unique handicraft. Put some wax shavings in a paper Dixie cup, place a worn crayon inside, and microwave in short bursts of 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave oven. Stir it up with a tiny popsicle stick and pour it into a candle mold. Then place a wick within the center and let it cool. You could even layer different colors if you wish – it’s that easy!
π ORDER a box
You could go down to the local big box or drugstore and pick you up a RoseArt or Crayola box of crayons. OR you could order yourself a custom & personalized box of CRAYOLA crayons to wow your friends and neighbors.
1https://crayoncollection.org/programs/art-education/#art-lessons
Collected crayons are donated to Head Start Centers and Title 1 elementary schools. These crayons are used to complete homework and are the main tool in our Art Education program.
Collect crayons when you dine out and ask restaurants in your neighborhood to participate too. Even community members and classmates will join in by contributing their gently used crayons.
Shift the mindset of waste in our culture and help save millions of still good crayons get into the hands of children instead of never decomposing in our landfills.
π RAISE Social Awareness
Use social media posts with the hashtags #NationalCrayonDay, #CrayonDay, #Crayon, #Crayons, #Crayola, #SpecialInterestHolidays, #MarchHolidays, #Holiday, #FindADayToLOVE, #iHEARTdays to support the importance of celebrating, promoting, and sharing with the world why you β€οΈ National CRAYON Day.
LEARN more about magic of CRAYONS
CRAYOLA MAGIC FOR KIDS
HOW ARE CRAYONS MADE?
BRIEF HISTORY OF CRAYOLA BRAND CRAYONS
FIVE Fun Facts you never knew about National CRAYON Day
- The largest crayon in the world was created by Crayola (in blue, of course) in 2003 and is on display at its headquarters in Easton, Pennsylvania. Weighing 1,500 pounds, it is 15-feet long, 16 inches in diameter and was created out of 123,000 blue crayons mailed in from children across the country. It could color an entire football field or draw a line 10 miles long!
- Crayons are the 18th most recognizable smell in the world according to a Yale University study, trailing coffee and peanut butter that were number one and two respectively, but beating out cheese and bleach, which placed at 19 and 20.
- -The average kid will wear down 720 crayons by the age of 10, give or take.
- The worldβs biggest manufacturer of crayons is Crayola, which alone produces 12 million crayons a day and nearly 3 billion crayons annually β enough to circle the earth six times when laid end to end! Crayola crayons are packaged in 12 languages and sold in 80 countries.
- In an online βcensusβ in 2000 done by Crayola (which produces 120 core colors), blue turned out to be the most-popular color in the U.S., with six shades voted onto the top-10 list, including cerulean, midnight blue, periwinkle, aquamarine, denim and blizzard blue.
Crayon FAQ
How do you get FREE crayons from Crayola?
- In 2022, Crayola began giving away 1 million for FREE. All you have to do is register and download a voucher to pick up your FREE crayon box and pick out 32 crayons of your own choosing at a specific Crayola Store location including the Crayola Experience locations as well. Choose wisely.
How many crayons end up LANDFILLS?
- Unfortunately no matter how brightly colored or fun to scrawl with, more than half a million pounds of crayons are discarded each year throughout the USA alone. This is roughly 60 million crayons. Wax crayons while largely non-toxic to us are made of paraffin which is made of petroleum, a chemical that’s toxic to our environment. Playskool crayons were known at one point to even contain asbestos. If we don’t recycle our crayons, they may eventually end up in our landfills and never biodegrade. π
What is the RAREST crayon color?
- Crayola does retire certain colors but many colors disappear without any fanfare. And with colors like Van Dyke Brown, Celestial Blue, English Vermilion, Lemon Yellow, Torch Red, and Pink Beige … you probably don’t have any of these in your box.
- Indian Red – after 96 years it was changed to Chestnut
- Flesh – renamed to Peach in 1962
- The Color Purple – made only for Oprah Winfrey
- Eric Carle Caterpillar Green
- Gamboge Yellow – rare hex shaped
- Mirtilla Blueberry – a rare color from the Macaroni Grill restaurants
- Light Blue – introduced in the 1910s for the predecessor of Woolworth stores
- C-Rex – color only to be found in a single box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese – we still don’t know if it was found
Why we LπVE National CRAYON Day
Coloring gives us happiness and serenity. Using Crayons helps with cognitive development and is good for helping us to relax when we are undergoing stress. Coloring for adults with crayons is linked to helping to treat anxiety and control low-level pain management. Coloring can evoke different emotions but help us to deal with fear. Color therapy helps the mind to feel more energetic or provides us with a sense of calmness. It helps us to quiet our minds.
Coloring before bed helps give us better rest and wakes us up feeling refreshed rather than staring at blue lights from electronic devices. As you age you begin to lose dexterity coloring is something that you can do that helps strengthen dexterity. Last but certainly not least as educators and many parents know coloring is very beneficial for developing learning skills. If you have a child perhaps you and your child can do a coloring project together. As an adult, it will help you feel like a kid again or help keep you feeling youthful.
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LIFE in Color
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They’re CRAFTY!
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COLORING for Adults
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