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National Crayon Day

Brighten up your world with a rainbow of colors in a box! Create your own masterpiece and let your imagination run wild with these artistic tools.

Art & Crafts Items & Things Stationery65

Marketing angleinferred

Drive March art supply sales and brand engagement by positioning Crayola crayons as tools for both childhood creativity and adult mindfulness/wellness.

Relevance 65medium intent

Adult coloring book trend: market crayons as stress-relief and mindfulness tools for professionals
DIY melted crayon art projects: showcase creative, shareable craft ideas on social media
Back-to-school adjacent: promote bulk crayon purchases for classrooms and art programs
Nostalgia marketing: celebrate 140+ years of Crayola heritage and generational brand loyalty

History

Crayola began its life as a company in 1885 when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over a pigment business that Edwin’s father had previously owned.

By 1903, the cousins had created a set of colorful drawing sticks for young artists by combining paraffin wax with non-toxic, kid-friendly pigments. While children had often used chalk or paints for drawing, those were both messy. Crayola came up with their brilliant solution–and it has lasted for more than a century!

The name Crayola seems to have come from a combination of two words created by the founder’s wife. It combined craie, which was French for “chalk” and oily, to create the company’s brand name.

The first set only contained 8 crayons, but now the boxes have gotten much larger with many more colors.

Since the beginning, the company has developed a core set of 120 crayon colors; but they have also come out with many unique sets. This includes metallic colored crayons, gem tones colors, and even scented ones.

One important development made by the company was a box of skin tones that make it possible to color pictures of humans of almost any cultural background.

Over time, the colors have changed, and the names have become more creative. Some of the most interesting Crayola crayon names include:

In the more than 100 years since the company began making them, more than 50 colors have been retired.

Today, the company makes about 12 million crayons every single day. Obviously, children (and kids-at-heart) all over the world enjoy and appreciate the artistic ability that is afforded them by the use of Crayola crayons.

And that’s a great reason to celebrate National Crayon Day!

How to celebrate

Color Some Pictures with Crayons

So, why not let your inner child out on National Crayon Day? Grab a coloring book and a box of Crayola crayons and let the creativity flow. Coloring can be a therapeutic and enjoyable way to pass some time. In fact, adult coloring books have become all the rage, with all sorts of different outlined pages that offer designs ranging from mandalas and zen gardens to enchanted forests and ocean creatures. Many people even find coloring to be a useful part of mindfulness and relaxation practices. For those who don’t have ready access to a coloring book, free coloring pages of various themes can be found online through the Crayola website. Remember, a proud artist shouldn’t even hesitate to hang their finished pictures on the fridge. It’s a great way to display the importance of crayons and celebrate National Crayon Day!

Make Creative Art with Crayola Crayons

In addition to simply drawing and coloring, Crayola crayons also offer other options for types of art that can be created with them. Because they are made of wax, crayons melt easily, and this factor can be incorporated into the artwork. One fun project uses an art canvas. Start by drawing a picture of a person (or two people) holding an umbrella. Line up crayons vertically, point facing down, along the top of the picture, and glue them with a hot glue gun. Hold the picture upright and use a hairdryer to make the crayons meltdown like rain. Another colorful art project requires just some cardboard and a knife that can cut crayons. Create a giant initial decoration to hang on the wall by first drawing a letter onto the cardboard and cutting it out. Then, using a hot glue gun, attach crayons onto the cardboard in a fun pattern of colors. Hang on the wall with a piece of colorful ribbon, burlap, or string.

Host a Coloring Contest

Whether working at school with kids or at an office filled with adults, a coloring contest is a super fun way to celebrate National Crayon Day! Find some pictures from the Crayola website or, even better, have someone at work create one of their own that incorporates the school or company logo. Hand the coloring sheets out to each person, or put the papers with some boxes of crayons in the breakroom or other easily accessible place. Make sure everyone knows when the deadline is and then have a judge see who does the best job coloring! (Don’t forget to have small prizes for the winners.)

Make New Crayon Colors

Some people just won’t be satisfied with the basic things that are given to them. In that case, they should create something new! Making new colors of Crayola crayons is fairly simple and fun. Kids and adults alike can enjoy new, swirled colors simply by melting existing crayons, mixing the colors together, and then pouring them into a new form (candy-making mold or mini cupcake molds work perfectly for this). Not only is this a fun way to create new colors, but it is also a great way to repurpose broken crayons to make them perfectly useful again!

Dress Up Like a Crayola Crayon

Costumes can be fun at more times of the year than just Halloween! National Crayon Day is a great time to give a nod to these clever art sticks by creating an entire outfit around it. It can be as simple as just dressing head to toe in a favorite Crayola Crayon color. Or, don a full costume complete with the Crayola logo and a pointy cap.

Visit a Crayola Experience Museum

Located in five different cities in the United States, Crayola Experiences offer attractions to visitors that feel something along the lines of an active art museum for families. From activity studios to virtual design, from naming your own crayon to colorful activities especially for toddlers, these adventures provide loads of fun for everyone. Make a trip to Eaton, PA; Chandler, AZ; Mall of America, MN; Orlando, FL; or Plano, TX to get up close and personal with everything Crayola has to offer.

FAQ

How did Crayola come up with the name for their crayons?

The name “Crayola” is a combination of the French word craie (meaning “chalk”) and oleaginous (referring to an oily texture). Alice Binney, co-founder Edwin Binney’s wife, came up with this name. The choice reflected the smooth, waxy texture of the crayons, which set them apart from earlier marking tools. This simple yet creative naming process symbolized the innovative spirit of the company, which began with the goal of making art accessible to children.

What was the first Crayola crayon color ever produced?

The first Crayola crayons appeared in 1903 in an eight-color box. These included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. However, even earlier, Crayola’s predecessor product—the Staonal Marking Crayon—was produced in black for industrial use. The affordable crayon box (costing just a nickel) revolutionized classroom art by offering reliable, vibrant colors that didn’t smudge as easily as chalk.

How many crayons does Crayola produce daily?

Crayola manufactures around 12 million crayons every day. That’s enough to circle the Earth almost five times annually if placed end-to-end! Their primary factory in Easton, Pennsylvania, has a special “Crayola Experience” museum where visitors can see how crayons are made and even create custom colors. This high production volume reflects the enduring global demand for these timeless art tools.

What is the most popular Crayola crayon color?

Blue consistently ranks as the most popular crayon color, according to surveys by Crayola. This may be due to blue’s association with calmness, trust, and creativity. Crayola even offers over 20 different shades of blue, from “Periwinkle” to “Cerulean.” Interestingly, “Cerulean” became famous after being referenced in the film The Devil Wears Prada, highlighting its cultural impact beyond art.

How has Crayola addressed inclusivity in their crayon colors?

Crayola has actively updated its color names and palette to reflect societal changes. For instance, in 1962, the company renamed the “Flesh” crayon to “Peach” to better represent diverse skin tones. In 2020, Crayola launched the “Colors of the World” collection, featuring 24 shades designed to match a wide range of skin tones. This innovation was supported by scientific expertise to ensure accuracy and inclusion, showcasing Crayola’s commitment to evolving with cultural awareness.

What is the largest crayon ever made?

The largest crayon ever created was made in 2003 to celebrate Crayola’s 100th anniversary. It weighed 1,500 pounds, was 15 feet long, and was colored blue. Named “Big Blue,” this crayon contained paraffin wax recycled from over 120,000 used crayons donated by children. It currently resides at the Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania, drawing thousands of visitors every year.

How did Crayola celebrate producing their 100 billionth crayon?

In 1996, Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, molded the 100 billionth Crayola crayon. The special crayon was colored “Blue Ribbon” and symbolized creativity and childhood education. This event underscored Crayola’s impact on generations of children and its connection to educational and cultural milestones.

What gives Crayola crayons their distinctive smell?

Crayola crayons have a signature smell due to stearic acid, derived from beef tallow. This ingredient helps give the crayons their smooth texture and prevents them from breaking easily. According to research, the nostalgic smell is one of the most recognizable scents in the U.S., evoking memories of childhood for many adults. The “new crayon smell” even ranks high in scent-based memory surveys.

What myths or misconceptions exist about Crayola crayons?

A common misconception is that crayons are toxic. In reality, Crayola crayons are certified non-toxic and safe for children. Another myth is that “white crayons” are useless, but artists use them to create textures or blend colors. Lastly, some believe older crayons work better due to differences in wax composition, but this is unproven.

What was Crayola’s first specialty crayon?

Crayola introduced its first specialty crayons in 1972, called the “Fluorescent Crayons.” These glow-in-the-dark crayons added excitement to art projects and appealed to kids’ love of novelty. Over the years, Crayola has expanded its specialty line to include glitter, scented, and even color-changing crayons, keeping their products fresh and engaging.