March 31 is National Crayon Day!
Crayon Factoids …
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Teachers spend an average $750 of their own income on school supplies each year. Efforts such
as the Crayon Collection – which collects millions of gently used crayons each year and distributes
them to Title One schools in low-income neighborhoods – can help offset those costs.
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The world’s biggest manufacturer of crayons is Crayola, which alone produces 12 million crayons
a day and nearly 3 billion crayons annually … Enough to circle the Earth six times when laid end
to end! Crayola crayons are packaged in 12 languages and sold in 80 countries. The company
produced its 100 billionth crayon on February 6, 1996. Dixon Ticonderoga – manufacturer of
another iconic writing instrument of childhood, the #2 yellow pencil – is probably the second
largest producer of crayons in the U.S., under the American Crayon brand name.

Well over 100 million crayons are thrown out every year by more than 15,000 family-style
restaurant chains across the U.S.

112 average crayons equals one pound of waste … You do the math!
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Crayon waste has a significant, negative environmental impact. Made from paraffin wax, which is
derived from petroleum, it can take years (even decades) for a crayon to decompose in a landfill.
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The average child wears down 720 crayons by their 10th birthday.

Crayons are the 18th most recognizable smell in the world according to a Yale University study,
trailing coffee and peanut butter that were number one and two respectively, but beating out
cheese and bleach, which placed at 19 and 20.

Early crayons – introduced in the 1800s – were black and sold mainly to factories and plants as
waterproof markers. Colored crayons for artistic purposes were introduced in Europe around
the same time, but like the black crayons, contained materials that were toxic and thus were
not appropriate for children. The first non-toxic crayons suitable for kids, in a package of eight
for 5 cents, was marketed in the U.S. in 1903. Contemporary crayons are entirely non-toxic
(adhering to strict legal guidelines).

Today, children can choose from hundreds of shades of crayons … Although in an online
“census” in 2000 done by Crayola (which produces 120 core colors), blue turned out to be the
most-popular color in the U.S., with six shades voted onto the top-10 list, including cerulean,
midnight blue, periwinkle, aquamarine, denim and blizzard blue.

In 1998, the Smithsonian Institute added a 1958 64-count box of Crayola crayons to the
permanent collection of the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. That
same year, Crayola crayons were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New
York and were featured on a 32-cent U.S. postage stamp.

The largest crayon in the world was created by Crayola (in blue, of course) in 2003 and is on
display at its headquarters in Easton, Pennsylvania. Weighing 1,500 pounds, it is 15-feet long, 16
inches in diameter and was created out of 123,000 blue crayons mailed in from children across
the country. It could color an entire football field or draw a line 10 miles long!
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Contacts:
Crayon Collection / Social Change PR & Marketing
Vicki Greenleaf — 323.660.5800 — Vicki@SocialChangePR.com
Dorrit Ragosine — 213.509.7748 — Dorrit@SocialChangePR.com
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