Crayola did not invent the crayon. Records show that Europe was the birthplace of the “modern” crayon. The first crayons were made from a mixture of charcoal and oil. Later, powdered pigments of various hues replaced the charcoal. It was discovered that substituting wax for the oil in the mixture made the sticks sturdier and easier to handle. Crayola Crayons were invented by Binney & Smith in 1902 and first offered for sale in 1903. Alice (Stead) Binney, a school teacher and wife of co-founder Edwin Binney, suggested the company manufacture an inexpensive alternative to imported crayons of that era. The trade name Crayola was coined by Mrs. Edwin Binney who joined the French word “craie,” meaning stick of chalk and “ola” from the word “oleaginous,” meaning oily. Crayola Crayons are made primarily from paraffin wax and colour pigment. The Crayola brand celebrated its 100th anniversary during 2003 and today we manufacture over 3 billion crayons each year.
How can I obtain instructions for Crayola products?
Directions for a variety of popular Crayola products can be found on our web site at http://www.crayola.com/products/instructions/”>http://www.crayola.com/products/instructions/. Scroll down the page to view the entire list of product instructions.
Popular Questions
While the marker barrel and cap are recyclable, not all parts of the marker are. Because the marker components are securely sealed during the manufacturing process, we don’t recommend trying to remove the marker nib and reservoir. The marker caps can be recycled at facilities that accept #5 plastic.
Green is more than just a colour to us! Click here to learn more about Crayola’s environmental initiatives.
Crayola Canada’s community relations program supports non-profit organizations located across Canada, with an emphasis on the arts and education.
How To Apply
Requests for donations must be submitted on your organization’s letterhead with your contact information by email, fax, or mail. If sending your request by email, you will receive an automatic reply acknowledging that your email has been received. If you do not receive this confirmation within 5 business days, please call Amanda Pascoe at Crayola Canada.
Email:apascoe@crayola.com
Phone Number: 1.800.342.6534 ext. 2252 or 1.705.324.6105 ext 2252
Fax Number:1.705.324.3511
Mailing Address:
Crayola Canada
Donations Department
P.O. Box 120
15 Mary St. West
Lindsay, Ontario
K9V 4R8
Attn: Amanda Pascoe
What To Include
We ask that you include the following required information in your letter:
- Date of your event
- If you require confirmation earlier than one month prior to your event, please provide us with a time frame needed to receive a response.
- Details of your event
- Shipping Address
- Telephone and fax number, if we need to contact you
- Contact person’s name, phone or fax number, and email address
- What you would like to receive – i.e., door prize, art supplies for craft area, etc.
Please be advised that it may take up to three weeks for your request to
be reviewed. Only organizations selected to receive a donation will be
contacted.
You can find our Canadian catalogue as a quick link in the footer of our website.
For product shopping please visit our online store at Crayola.ca
The wife of the founder of our company, Alice (Stead) Binney, coined the name CRAYOLA Crayons. The name comes from “craie”, the French word for chalk, and “ola” from oleaginous. This has been our trademark name since 1903 when our company was founded and remains one of the most important pieces of our heritage. The first box of Crayola Crayons was produced in 1903 as an 8 count box. It sold for a nickel and contained the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown and black.
All CRAYOLA Crayons are made from paraffin wax and colour pigment. The crayons vary slightly in weight due to the amount of colour pigment added to produce a particular colour as well as the density of the powder pigment itself. Certain colour pigments are very light while other pigments are very dense. It would not be accurate, however, to say that all dark crayons are heavier than other colours. You can test this by doing an experiment to see which Crayola Crayons float and which will sink.
Crayola® Model Magic® can be sealed once your piece is completely dry. It generally takes 24 hours to dry to the touch; 72 hours to dry completely. Once dry, an acrylic varnish can be used. We recommend testing its compatibility before applying it to a finished piece. Sealing your work will not waterproof it. Exposure to water and outdoor elements will have a negative effect on Model Magic, so we recommend displaying your sculpture indoors.
If you have additional questions, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to call or text us at 1−800−272−9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time.
We are flattered you are interested in learning about Crayola! The company began as Binney ; Smith when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over the pigment business owned by Edwin’s father. Early products included red oxide pigment used in barn paint, carbon black for car tires, slate pencils, and “dustless” chalk. After noticing a need for safe, high quality, affordable wax crayons, Crayola produced the first box of eight crayons in 1903 and sold them for 5 cents. The trade name Crayola was coined by Mrs. Edwin Binney. She joined the French word “craie”, meaning chalk and “ola” from the word “oleaginous”, meaning oily. The first box of crayon colours consisted of red, yellow, blue, green, orange, violet (purple), brown and black. To learn more, check out the below sites that Crayola maintains. Be sure and visit these for a variety of information about our company and its products: http://www.crayola.ca/ http://www.crayola.ca/about-us.aspx http://www.crayola.ca/about-us/company-profile/history.aspx We also offer a photocopied booklet titled “Story of a Rainbow”, which contains detailed early history. To receive a copy in the postal mail, please call (800) 272‑9652 weekdays between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Eastern time. “Edwin Binney: The Founder of Crayola Crayons” is part of the Lives and Times Series, published by Heinemann-Raintree. The book offers history behind the founding of Binney ; Smith and can be purchased through Barnes ; Noble or Amazon.com.
