Who Founded Crayola
Crayola is a company that specializes in arts and craft products that are mostly targeted at the children’s market. The product they are best known for is crayons, which can be found in homes and schools in over 80 countries of the world. The company’s headquarters are located in Easton, Pennsylvania. The company is owned by Hallmark Cards, who bought it in 1984, and employs over 1,200 people. Let’s take a closer look at the history of this famous company.
Who Founded Crayola?
The company was founded in New York City in 1885 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. They named the company Binney & Smith, which wasn’t officially changed to Crayola until the beginning of 2007. Originally the company produced colorants for use in products such as paint and tires. In 1900 the company soon shifted its focus to art products for schools and made a name for themselves in this area when they invented of dustless white chalk.
In 1903 Edwin Binney worked with his wife Alice Binney to create wax crayons that sold under the name Crayola. Alice Binney came up with the name from the French words for chalk (craie) and oily (ola). In 1904 the company won the gold medal for their dustless chalk at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. This helped them immensely with their marketing and the gold medal appeared on their packaging for at least 50 years. Today, Crayola crayons are one of the best recognized brands in the world.
Did you know?
A study conducted at Yale university showed that the scent of a Crayola crayon is one of the most recognizable in adults. In a separate study, the brand Crayola is recognized by 99% of Americans.
All Crayola products are made to be non-toxic and safe for children.
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