A few weeks ago, I was reading about obscure "holidays" celebrated in March and I smiled when I noticed the one slated for the last day of this month. Today is National Crayon Day! I love seeing a new box of crayons with their perfectly pointed tips in rainbow rows. Even better, though, is the sight of children using them. As a retired first grade teacher, I have picked-up, sharpened, shared and used a bazillion of these colored wax sticks over the years.
Did you know that Crayola crayons were first sold in 1903? They were produced by Binney and Smith, who were actually cousins. Their company initially produced chalk and, in fact, they were awarded a medal for dustless white chalk at the 1904 World's Fair.
Everyone recognizes the company for their crayons, of course. In 1902, Edwin Binney and his wife, Alice, developed the first line of wax crayons. Alice, a retired teacher, coined the name of Crayola. It comes from craie (French for chalk) and ola (for "oily"). Crayolas were sold beginning the following year and children have been coloring their worlds ever since!
Aside from coloring, crayons are used for many purposes.There is an extensive line of Crayola merchandise. I have lapel pins, ornaments, knickknacks and a ceiling fan with this brand name! A family even made my initial entirely out of crayons! It is nicely framed, but I took it apart just for this picture in an effort to avoid the glare.
By now, you have heard the big news that Crayola retired a color this morning. No longer will dandelion be included in our assortment.
It's a lovely shade, but we're still left with 7 other different yellows. Crayola makes 120 colors, so we have lots of options to make our world bright and happy!
May your weekend be bright and happy! 🖍