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.
What are Crayola’s sustainability initiatives?
As we deepen our commitment to sustainability, we’re researching what programs will make the most significant impact and help us advance our sustainability goals, like our commitment to significantly reduce emissions from our business operations by 2030.
We have already taken several steps to make our products and operations more sustainable by focusing our efforts on renewable energy and packaging initiatives.
- Renewable Energy: The 20-acre solar farm on our Crayola campus in Pennsylvania provides the electricity to make 1 billion crayons, 700 million markers a year, and 120 million jars of paint.
- Plastics Reduction: In the last 10 years, we’ve redesigned our broad line markers to save an estimated 2 million pounds of plastic versus its previous design.
- Packaging: We make our marker Classpack packaging with 100% recycled cardboard. Starting in 2023, this packaging, along with crayon sleeves, will be made with natural cardboard instead of bleached cardboard, which will reduce C02e emissions by an estimated 100 metric tons per year.
- Carbon Footprint: Crayola, through our parent company Hallmark, joined the Science Based Target initiative, a collaboration of global nonprofit organizations, businesses, and world governments that set goals to limit global warming to not exceed 1.5°C. To achieve this, participating organizations will need to reduce carbon emissions significantly by 2030. Crayola sources raw materials locally and manufactures many crayons and markers close to where they are used, which helps reduce the carbon footprint. In fact, Crayola has reduced CO2e emissions from our company-owned facilities’ direct and indirect energy sources by 82% since 2019, with investments in renewable energy, as well as efficiencies in our US manufacturing process. (Direct energy includes the gasoline, oil, natural gas, etc. used while indirect emissions are created when the energy is produced but not where it is used.)
- Reforestation: Most Crayola coloured pencils are made from wood that is reforested in an 8,288 hectare pine farm in Brazil. Each year 300,000 seedlings are planted to restore the forest.
For more information on Crayola sustainability efforts, check here.
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.
We have some tips to help you get the very best results while cleaning your Scribble Scrubbie Pets. For Best Results: Gently scrub your pet under running water after play and let it air dry before storing. Use the scrub brush to help release marker inks from the tiny fibers (flocking). DO NOT PLACE SCRIBBLE SCRUBBIE PETS IN A DISHWASHER. Let your pets dry before a second use. Colouring on damp pets allows the ink to wick under the fibers, making the colour harder to rinse away. Still See Colour on Your Pet After Scrubbing Under Running Water? If colours have been left on your pet for several days, you may need to soak it in water for 20-minutes. If the stain persists after a 20-minute soak, soak overnight. Always Keep in Mind: The fresher the colour, the easier to clean. Soap has little effect when cleaning your pets. Fresh colouring typically requires a rinse under the faucet, while concentrated colouring may require light scrubbing under a faucet or an overnight soak. Follow the tips below. 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. If you would prefer to send us an email, visit our contact us page.
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.
