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Before Crayola® Crayons were introduced, we produced black marking crayons in 1900. These early crayons, made with dry carbon black and various waxes, are now known as Staonal® Marking Crayons, widely used in industrial settings.
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.
If you have additional questions, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to call or text us at 1-800-CRAYOLA weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time. If you would prefer to send us an email, visit our contact us page.
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In 1958 the box of 64 CRAYOLA Crayons was introduced. It was the first package to include a built-in sharpener design. We continue to manufacture this package design today in the 64 and 96 count Crayola Crayon package.
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Crayola® did not invent the crayon. The "modern" crayon originated in Europe, initially made from a mixture of charcoal and oil, later replaced by powdered pigments. Wax was later substituted for oil, making the sticks sturdier and easier to handle.
In 1902, Crayola Crayons were invented by Binney & Smith and first offered for sale in 1903. The trade name "Crayola" was coined by Mrs. Edwin Binney, combining "craie" (French for chalk stick) and "oleaginous" (oily).
Crayola manufactures over 3 billion crayons each year, primarily made from paraffin wax and color pigment. Learn more about Crayola's colorful history on Crayola's history page.
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Throughout Crayola's history, several crayon colors have been retired, marking significant moments in the evolution of our vibrant palette.
1990
For the first time in Crayola history, eight colors were retired and placed in the Crayola Hall of Fame: blue gray, green blue, lemon yellow, maize, orange red, orange yellow, raw umber, and violet blue. Eight new colors were added: cerulean, dandelion, fuchsia, jungle green, royal purple, teal blue, vivid tangerine, and wild strawberry.2003
Celebrating a century of bringing color to the world, Crayola introduced four new colors named by Crayola fans! To make room for the new hues, we bid farewell to blizzard blue, magic mint, mulberry, and teal blue. The four new colors that were introduced are: inchworm, jazzberry jam, mango tango, and wild blue yonder. Kudos to our hue heroes - the consumers who voted in the "Save the Shade" campaign, ensuring burnt sienna stayed in the pack.2017
To mark National Crayon Day on March 31st, we announced Dandelion was leaving the pack. To honor this iconic color, we sent Dandelion on a retirement tour to his favorite places. His replacement, Bluetiful, was announced on May 5, 2017.Looking for more historical facts about our colorful company? We've got them on the Crayola History page!
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Originally introduced as Indian Red in 1958, the color was renamed to Chestnut in 1999.
Check out our Crayola History Timeline to learn more about Crayola's colorful history.
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In 1993 we conducted a poll to find out the most popular colors in America. Blue was voted the most popular CRAYOLA Crayon color. Rounding the top ten were red, violet, green, carnation pink, black, turquoise blue, blue green, periwinkle and magenta.
In 2000, we did another Crayola Color Census, and blue again reigns as number one! Six other shades of blue finished in the Top 10 including cerulean, midnight blue, aquamarine, periwinkle, denim and blizzard blue. The other colors rounding out the list included purple heart, caribbean green and cerise.