When you open a fresh box of crayons, that familiar waxy smell and burst of color probably takes you right back to childhood. But did you know the name Crayola actually means “oily chalk”?
Crayola started out as the Binney & Smith Company, a business that originally produced industrial pigments like the red iron oxide used in barn paint and carbon black for printing ink and car tires. Their experiments eventually led to the invention of the first dustless white chalk—an achievement that won them a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. For the next 50 years, that “Gold Medal” seal proudly appeared on every crayon box.
From Chalk to Crayons
In 1903, company co-founder Edwin Binney, with help from his wife Alice, developed a new line of wax crayons. Alice—once a schoolteacher—came up with the name Crayola by combining the French word craie (“chalk”) with ola (“oleaginous” or “oily”). The suffix -ola was also trendy at the time, popping up in names like Victrola, Shinola, and granola. The very first Crayola crayon boxes sold for just a nickel, door-to-door.
Hand-Labeled with Care
For decades, every crayon label was applied by hand. To keep up with demand, women in the local community were hired to work from home—each household assigned to label the same color week after week. Crayon boxes would be dropped off one week and picked up the next, a simple system that helped families earn extra income while boosting production.
Growing the Rainbow
Crayola’s original 8-color pack has since exploded into a spectrum of shades. By 1998, there were 120 colors, though new hues often replaced old ones. Fans may remember when Dandelion was retired in 2017 to make room for Bluetiful, a vibrant pigment discovered by accident in an Oregon State University lab.
Today, Crayola produces nearly 3 billion crayons every year—that’s about 12 million per day! The brand boasts 99% name recognition in U.S. households, and their crayons have become a true cultural icon.
Crayola in Pop Culture
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The Smithsonian’s collection includes over 300 boxes of Crayola crayons, starting with a 64-color box donated in 1998.
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Fred Rogers himself molded the official 100 billionth crayon in 1996 at Crayola’s Easton, Pennsylvania plant.
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In 1998, crayons were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame as a founding member.
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A 1982 Yale study ranked the scent of Crayola crayons as one of the most recognizable smells—number 18 on the list, right between bananas and cheese!
America’s Favorite Colors
In 2000, Crayola invited the nation to vote for their favorite crayon color. The winners? Blue took first place, Cerulean second, and Purple Heart third. Even celebrities joined in—George W. Bush picked Blue Bell, Tiger Woods chose Wild Strawberry, and Courteney Cox went with Red.