Our Story
Crayola has inspired creativity since the first box of Crayola crayons rolled off the assembly line in 1903. The Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of innovative art tools, crafting activities, and creative toys that inspire kids to explore, discover, play, pretend, and dream.
Whether it's providing tools to create everything imaginable or enabling teachers to bring arts-infused learning into the classroom, Crayola is passionate about helping parents and educators raise creatively alive children. Crayola sees a world where the inherent creativity of children is fully nurtured into adulthood, filling the world with more curiosity, imagination, joy, and connections.
The company began when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin's father's pigment business in 1885. Early products included red oxide pigment used as barn paint and carbon black used in car tires. After noticing a need for safe, high quality, affordable wax crayons, in 1903, Crayola produced the first box of eight crayons and sold them for 5 cents.
Crayola has been a business of Hallmark Cards since 1984 and has offices in Canada, Mexico, Italy, Australia, Asia, and the United Kingdom.
The Company carried the name of its founders, Binney & Smith, until 2007 when we changed our name to Crayola to reflect our No. 1 brand.
The Company’s world headquarters and major manufacturing facilities are located in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, its home since the early 1900’s. Beyond manufacturing Crayola products, Crayola also manufactures Silly Putty, creates entertainment through Crayola Studios and Crayola Experience attractions, and supports fundraising for a variety of non-profit agencies through Crayola Flowers.