Crayons: Early Beginnings of Man, Children & Writers | M. G. Lorraine Celebrates National Crayon Day | March 31, 2025

Crayons have earned their own fantastic day of celebration, but most of us have no idea that their history dates back centuries. From their first configuration in boxes of 8 to the ultimate collection now at 152, all colors began much the same way with humble beginnings as simple pigments, combined with beeswax to create art and imagery. They’ve been used since the times of indigenous people; the remnants of these beautiful beginnings can be seen on caves and rock cliffs throughout the world.

These pigments and artistic traditions have traveled the Earth - no matter what the name - they’ve been found in tombs, caves, burial sites, monasteries, castles, churches and more. They have been used to create art and communication since the earliest of mankind. Some of their remnants have been found with the wax burnt away by fire, leaving only the color; now the crayon is a friend to children everywhere.

The joy of your first box of eight large crayons tossed in your little backpack and headed off to your first day of school brought joy, a sense of purpose and a feeling that you had "joined the big kids". After all, you now had your own box of crayons! The creations you created from that first box, your mother probably displayed across the refrigerator, the cabinets, the cork-board and anywhere else as you showered her with the colorful creations from your box beautiful colors.

With great love and zeal, you learned the name of each of your colors in that little box. As you grew, your color vocabulary grew and you also gained motor skills and control, learning to simply color within the lines and following directions. Eventually, you graduated from your box of eight to a box of 12! As kids we used these blessed wax pencil-like tools to trace, craft a proper letters, create our first images and strengthen our hand muscles enough to stay within the boundaries of our pictures. We used those precious boxes of color to make endless circles, lines, arches, and more until we were good enough to translate those skills to our own pencil work. So to most of us, the crayon was our first form of written communication skill and our very first art supply.

"From early man to early childhood, art and expression to communication and the development of writing skills, the crayon is universally beloved, relevant at any age and deserving of celebration." - M. G. Lorraine

Some of us take the joy and art of coloring into adulthood with huge boxes of crayons and intricate large coloring books, allowing us to use this crafting skills for relaxation and design. Some designers use crayons to test color on a new design. Others use the remnants to meltdown into candles, art or new artistic tools. Engineers have been known to use crayons instead of colored pencil on their landscaping and original drawings because it is more durable. Some of the intricate creativity that adults do with crayons is often so beautiful that it is framed and hung as artwork in the home.

Color, the description of color, the impact of color, how we defined color, emotion and nature are all things and feelings that we as authors utilize every day. But as a lifetime learner much of our vocabulary on the science of color starts with that box of eight that we cherished as a child.

Crayons have long earned the right to have a special day just for them as their glorious ways have impacted nearly every aspect of our lives today. Take a moment today to celebrate with your favorite color! Grab a new box at the corner store and relax while you color away the afternoon. Over a cup of coffee, remember your first box of eight and consider how far you have come since then. Maybe consider not just the bright colors, but consider the people in your life that have offered some colorful memories, too. Either way, carve out some time today to celebrate the fabulous crayon for just earned it its place.

Until next time,

Written by M. G. Lorraine

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#TEAMMG Highlight: Meet Stef

Stef lives in Orlando, FL with her husband, Josh, and son, Liam. She comes to our team with over 20 years in small business marketing and retail sales experience. In addition to supporting our daily operations with everything from accounting to YouTube, she still finds time to film fun days like this one; Stef and Liam celebrated National Crayon Day 2024 at the Crayola Experience in the Florida Mall. There are several locations for this experience through out the United States.

Tip from Stef:

We love the Crayola Create and Play App on the iPad. I'm not a huge fan of a ton of tablet time or mindless games, but in our house, this app is always approved. It is a fun way to create your own worlds, colors and so much more. I will tell you it is not just for kids, I find this app creative and enjoyable, too!