National Crayon Collection Month
Posted on August 30 2026
T Shirt Atelier highlights this consequential and colorful effort!
National Crayon Collection Month's goal is to collect crayons to ensure that every child around the world has access to crayons and creativity. Learn more from the resources below.
Crayons color our world; and represent our shared childhood and creativity.
Crayons serve as our very first medium for autonomous self-expression, creative control, and developmental growth during childhood. Long before we learn to read or write, a simple box of wax crayons allows us to project our internal thoughts onto a physical surface. This humble art tool forms a special relationship with nearly all of us during our formative years.
Cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith ran Binney & Smith, initially selling industrial paints and dustless school chalk. In 1903, they created affordable, non-toxic sticks using safe paraffin wax and pigments. Alice Binney (Edwin's wife and a former teacher) coined the name "Crayola" by combining craie (chalk) with oleaginous (oily).
The first box sold for a nickel, the original eight colors were red, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, brown, and black. The 64-count box was launched in 1958, it introduced a built-in sharpener and a massive variety of shades. Factories now manufacture billions of these colorful wax sticks every year to support education, art, and adult relaxation.
SHOP all of our wonderfully colorful clothing!!
Resources
-Get Involved | Crayon Collection
-Crayola Crayons | Smithsonian Institution
-Crayola Crayons | National Museum of American History
