Charissa Brown, Public Relations Director
(610) 253-6271 Ext. 5000
Charissa_Brown@Crayola.com
1100 Church Lane
Easton, Pa. 18044-0431
BACKGROUNDER
At Crayola, we believe in unleashing the originality in every child. Crayola
provides children with hours of creative craft time. What better way for children to
grow developmentally than to provide them with a box of Crayola Crayons and
encourage them to let their imagination run free?
Mission Statement
At Crayola, we want to help parents and educators raise creatively-alive kids. We
want to help kids ask those “what if?” questions that keep them curious and
artistically minded. Crayola gives colorful wings to the invisible things that grow in
the hearts and minds of children. We believe in unleashing, nurturing and
celebrating the colorful originality in every child. More than 120 years later, color -–
along with creativity, learning and most of all, fun –- remains the hallmark of our
company.
History of Crayola, LLC
Crayola has a long history of success; chemists Joseph Binney and C. Harold Smith
founded Crayola in 1864, originally as an industrial pigment supply company. By the
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early 1900s, the company began creating crayons and classroom chalk. Binney and
Smith created the first dustless chalk. In 1903, Binney and Smith noticed a need for
safe, quality, affordable wax crayons. This year, the company produced the first box
of eight crayons containing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black
sticks. It sold for a nickel. Around this time, the company acquired the name
Crayola, a name derived from the French work “craie,” meaning chalk, and the word
“oleaginous,” meaning oil or wax. In 1958, the 64-count box of crayons—with built
in sharpener-- flew off the toy store shelves. In 1969 the Crayola Company opened
an additional plant in Easton, Pa., followed five years later by a new corporate
headquarters now known for the popular Crayola Factory. In 1992, Crayola
introduced Model Magic, a modeling compound, into its long line of products.
Crayola now produces crayons in multiple sizes and shapes, magic markers, Silly
Putty, sidewalk chalk and even Crayon shaped nail polish. Needless-to-say, Crayola
has proven a long line of success over the last 100 years of business.
Green Initiatives
Beyond the expansive product line, Crayola takes pride in our care of the
environment and our social responsibility. In 2010, we implemented a green
initiative involving solar power. We developed a Solar Farm on 20 acres near the
Crayola Factory in Forks Township, Pa. This farm generates enough electric energy
to produce 1 billion crayons and 500 markers per year. In addition to rapid
production, this program helps to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating 3,800
tons of greenhouse gas per year, equivalent to carbon stored from 976,805 tree
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seedlings grown for a ten-year period. The execution of “going green” eliminates
pollution and provides our world with a better place to live. We believe that with
our impact as a company, the green initiation could potentially influence fans
everywhere to join hands with us and make our world even more colorful.
Charity Involvement
Crayola believes that everyone, young and old, deserves a chance to let their
creative side shine. As one of the most successful creative toy companies, we strive
to maintain a positive contributor in our communities in providing education and
funding for the arts. By doing so, we hope to inspire kids everywhere to let their
imagination run free. We believe that by giving back and contributing to an overall
positive image our communities, others will feel empowered to help as well.
Currently, Crayola sponsors many clubs and organizations in the local community.
Please contact us at www.crayola.com/wecanhelp/contact for more information on
charitable giving.
Crayola Currently
Now the largest supplier of crayons and other arts and craft materials in the
country, Crayola grosses approximately $700 million in revenue each year. Our
products encourage learning and teaching, imagination and growth. Many teachers
implement our products into the classroom and use them as tools to unleash
students’ creativity.
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Our products became a favorite memory even to adults. In 2006, VH1 viewers listed
Silly Putty and Crayola Crayons as 27th and 28th respectively as their favorite toys
of all time. These toys remain a favorite year after year. Crayola now mass-produces
crayons, markers, finger paints, colored pencils, Model Magic and much more. Visit
us online at www.crayola.com/about-us/proudct-catalogs to find additional
products.
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