Here Are 15 Colorful Crayon Facts That Your Kid Needs To Know

Shagun Dhanuka
Oct 18, 2022 By Shagun Dhanuka
Originally Published on Jan 20, 2022
Edited by Rhea Nischal
Here Are 15 Colorful Crayon Facts That Your Kid Needs To Know
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.0 Min

A crayon is a wax stick that comes in a variety of colors and is used for sketching and coloring.

A crayon is a stick of colored wax that may be used to write or draw with. Crayons made from wax vary from pastel colors, which have a parched binder such as gum Arabic, and oil pastels, which have a binder that is a hybrid of wax and oil.

They're less messy than most paints and markers, have a blunt tip, are usually non-toxic, and come in a range of colors.

Rose Art Industries and Dixon Ticonderoga, the successor to the American Crayon Company, are two additional brand name crayon makers today, in addition to Crayola Crayon.

Crayons were utilized by early French painters such as François Clouet and Nicholas L'agneau in their early art efforts.

Sister Gertrude Morgan was most renowned for teaching the Gospel with simple and easy-to-understand crayon drawings across New Orleans.

Continue reading this article for more information and fun facts about the crayon colors and their history. Also check out, biggest box of crayola crayons and facts about the color blue.

History Of Crayons

The idea of mixing a kind of wax with color dates back thousands of years.

  • Encaustic painting is a method that involves binding color into stone with heated beeswax and colored pigment.
  • However, because the procedure was not employed to manufacture Crayola crayons, it was unsuccessful for use in a school or as crafts for kids.
  • Some of the first cylinder shaped crayons were manufactured with charcoal and oil in Europe, according to legend.
  • Eventually, powdered pigments of various hues replaced the basic charcoal element in most goods.
  • Several firms and products competed for the lucrative education and an art career during the early days of wax crayons.
  • In total, approximately 300 crayon producers were reported in the United States, with many more in other nations.
  • Edwin Binney founded the handicrafts firm 'Binney and Smith' along with Harold Smith which commercialized his Crayola crayon innovation.
  • Edwin Binney married Alice Binney and they had four kids together.
  • Emerson Moser, who worked for Crayola for 35 years as a crayon molder, was colorblind.

Materials Used To Make Crayons

Crayola Crayons are manufactured with color pigment and paraffin, a waxy material generated from wood, coal, or petroleum.

  • Petroleum oil has been the primary natural resource for ordinary crayons. Oil wells, most of which are located overseas, provide the petroleum for wax crayons.
  • Crayons debuted at the turn of the century, and paraffin was commercially manufactured by 1867.
  • C25H52 is the chemical formula for paraffin wax.
  • Wax or oil-based pencil crayons are available. Pigments, additives, and binding agents are mixed in various amounts.
  • Watercolor and pastel pencils, as well as colored lead, are available.
  • Colored pencils are made in the same way as black-writing pencils, but instead of graphite, their cores include coloring ingredients like dyes and pigments.
  • To make the pencils slick, clay and gum are mixed to the pigment as sticking representatives, and then the mix is drenched in wax.
On March 31, National Crayon Day, which honors crayons, brings back incredible recollections of masterpieces by kids using their crayons.

Types Of Crayons

Pastel crayons, bathtub crayons, chalk crayons, and fabric crayons are all examples of crayons.

  • Crayola crayons made of wax are the most prevalent. They are used by both children and adults to sketch and color drawings.
  • Washable crayons are made to wash away off skin, clothes, and walls with ease.
  • Because the paper won't withstand water, bathtub crayons are called 'naked crayons'. Instead of sharpening, most of them twist or push up.
  • Twistable crayons don't need a sharpener because the crayon is contained within a plastic barrel.
  • Beeswax crayons are manufactured from beeswax rather than paraffin, which is used in traditional crayons.
  • Cloth crayons are used to color on fabric, although they can only be used on synthetic textiles such as polyester.
  • Soft pastels are made out of powdered color and chalk. Once applied, they resemble watercolor.
  • Watercolor crayons are a type of crayon that dissolves in water. This enables the creation of soft hues and the blending of colors.
  • A lumber crayon may be used to mark several surfaces and is commonly used in construction and other sectors.
  • A Conte crayon looks like a pastel. Graphite or charcoal, as well as wax or clay and natural colors, are used to create them.

Fun Facts About Crayons

The first crayons were created using a charcoal and oil combination. Powdered pigments of various colors eventually took the place of the charcoal.

  • The name crayon derives from the French word 'craie', which is derived from the Latin word 'creta', which means 'chalk pencil' (Earth).
  • Crayon is most typically linked with the conventional wax crayons that are generally accessible for youngsters to use.
  • Children can make their own crayons by mixing beeswax with food dye or any color pigment.
  • These crayons are typically 3.5 in (89 mm) long and made primarily of paraffin wax.
  • Stearic acid, a beef fat product, is responsible for a major part of its distinct odor.
  • Leftover crayons are referred to as 'leftovers' colloquially.
  • They created Big Blue, the world's biggest crayon, which weighs 1500 lb (kg). It was created from leftovers collected from children throughout the country.
  • Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood created the 100 billionth crayon in 1996.
  • According to research conducted by Crayola Crayon, blue is the most popular color among the average kid in the USA.
  • Crayola Crayons were initially created in 1903 as an eight-count first box. It was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black.
  • A color wheel is a representation of color colors in a circle. It demonstrates color temperature by demonstrating the links between primary, secondary, and intermediate hues.
  • The colors red, yellow, and blue are the three main primary colors.
  • Orange, violet, and green are known to be the secondary colors.
  • Six tertiary colors are created by combining the primary and secondary colors.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Here are 15 colorful crayon facts that your kid needs to know then why not take a look at facts about the color orange, or facts about the color pink?

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Written by Shagun Dhanuka

Bachelor of Business Administration

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Shagun DhanukaBachelor of Business Administration

With a Degree in Business Administration, Shagun is an avid writer with a passion for food, fashion, and travel, which she explores on her blog. Her love of literature has led her to become a member of a literary society, where she contributes to promoting literary festivals in her role as head of marketing for her college. Shagun also pursues learning the Spanish language in her free time.

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