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Every child has their favorite toy. My favorite childhood
activity was coloring with crayons…and they had to be Crayola. I think I just knew that they were high
quality and timeless. Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903 by cousins Edwin
Binney and Harold Smith. At the time crayons were limited to artists due to
their fragile and toxic nature; Crayola crayons were the first crayons
available for children. The name Crayola combines the French word "craie"
(chalk) and "oléagineaux" (oily). The original box sold for 5¢ and included
eight colors: blue, green, red, orange, yellow, violet, brown, and black. But
by 1940 they were popular in both schools and homes and boxes included 64
colors.
The two basic ingredients in a crayon are pigment and paraffin
wax. The mixture is heated until it melts into a liquid which is then poured
into a preheated mold of 1,200 crayon-shaped holes. The mold is cooled with
cold water, making a crayon in 3 to 9 minutes.
Photo by Sir Fish
Hydraulic pressure is used to eject crayons from the mold
and each crayon is manually inspected for quality. A non-toxic cornstarch and
water mixture is used to hold the label on the Crayola crayon (in case any kids
want to eat the crayon instead of color with it).
The label machine used by Crayola hasn't changed much since
1943! Bare crayons are fed from one hopper while labels are fed from a separate
hopper. Glue is added to the glue pot and the label machine is started. The
glue transfers to a slot in a drum that a crayon goes into. The label is then
fed onto the drum where a roller presses the label against the glue; the label
is then tucked and wrapped around the crayon twice.
Fun fact-Before 1943, crayons were hand-wrapped by farmers
in the winter months to supplement their income.
Click the image below to watch a video of how crayons are
made at the Crayola factory.
Crayons are packed in boxes of various sizes from 9-26
crayons per box and there are 120 crayon color possibilities.
Do you have a fond memories of your time with crayons?
Resources
Discovery
Kids - Crayons
Art
in Everyday: Crayola Crayons
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Re: How Crayoloa Crayons are Made
