Recognizing a need in schools for safe and affordable wax crayons, Binney & Smith created the first box of eight Crayola Crayons in 1903. Sold for a nickel, this box included
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black.
The Crayola name was coined by Alice Binney, wife of company founder Edwin Binney and a former schoolteacher. It combines the French word for "chalk" ("craie") with "ola," meaning "oily."
Want to know more about our colorful history? Check out the details at
Crayola.com.