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- Special Interest
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- United States
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- Every March 31
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National Crayon Day colors the calendar every March 31, celebrating the beloved art tool that sparks imagination for all ages. Grab your favorite box of crayons, whether it’s the classic 64-count or a specialty set, and dive into a world of artistic expression. Draw, doodle, and let your creativity shine today!
Want to sponsor National Crayon Day? Learn how
Expected National Crayon Day Deals
While we await official 2027 promotions, history shows National Crayon Day often brings colorful deals from art supply retailers and toy stores. Look for discounts on crayon sets, coloring books, and art kits from brands like Crayola, Michaels, and Joann. Many online retailers such as Amazon and Target also offer special pricing on art supplies for kids and adults. Keep an eye out for promotions from educational toy brands like Melissa & Doug, encouraging creative play. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as March 31 approaches.
Platform Guide for National Crayon Day
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #NationalCrayonDay. Share your vibrant crayon art, coloring book masterpieces, or nostalgic childhood drawings.
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #NationalCrayonDay. Film time-lapses of your coloring process, crayon melting art, or creative DIY projects.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #NationalCrayonDay. Share photos of your family’s coloring sessions or host a virtual art challenge.
National Crayon Day Hero
Edwin Binney
History of National Crayon Day
Crayons have a colorful history. While hued wax molds have existed for centuries, the modern-day crayon got its start in the 1900s.
Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903 by Binney & Smith as a safer and cheaper alternative to the art utensils in use at that time. Binney & Smith premiered their famous eight-pack of crayons with the color line-up: Black, Brown, Orange, Violet, Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow. This color mix, along with their names, remained unchanged for 45 years.
Since then, many colors have been added, color names and packaging have changed, and color styles such as neon, metallics, and glitter have emerged. A few colors have even been retired from the color wheel, typically on March 31.
The Crayola crayon has a special place in the hearts of Americans and Americana. It was one of the original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame in November 1999. It is estimated the average American will have used 730 crayons by their 10th birthday. Even Mr. Fred Rogers has had his hand in the history of crayons by molding the official 100 billionth crayon in February 1996 at the Crayola plant in Easton.
Crayons not only add color to our lives, but they’ve also been held as an analogy for the colorfulness of the human race and our ability to live together in a diverse world. Robert Fulghum, the American author, once said, “We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.”
National Crayon Day timeline
Wax paintings first appeared in Ancient Rome.
The word “crayon” is first used in French and Latin meaning a colorful stick of chalk or wax.
With Paris considered the world’s artistic hub, crayons of pure wax are produced for the first time here.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Crayola unveiled the world’s largest crayon – over 15 feet long, 1300 pounds, color blue.
Traditions
Crayons have been used for creating artwork for years. Originally used for industrial purposes, their popularity soared when the brand Crayola was introduced.
Crayons are used as a medium for creating artwork by children in schools mostly, but the medium is becoming more popular among adults who use it for creating contemporary art. Many households have a box of crayons stashed away somewhere, and today is the day it is pulled out. Adults and children can both enjoy crayons for creating vivid drawings.
By The Numbers
100 – the number of colors Crayola crayons are available in.
50 – the number of crayon colors retired by Crayola.
3 billion – the number of crayons produced by Crayola in a year.
18th – the ranking in terms of how familiar the crayon scent is to adults.
1962 – the year when Crayola changed the name of their crayon ‘Flesh’ to ‘Peach.’
15 feet – the length of the world’s biggest crayon.
223 billion – the number of Crayola crayons produced to date.
730 – the number of crayons used by the average kid by the age of 10.
National Crayon Day FAQs
When is National Crayon Day?
In 2027, National Crayon Day is observed on Wednesday, March 31. This annual celebration encourages everyone to embrace their inner artist with a box of colorful crayons.
How many colors of crayons are there?
Crayola alone has introduced hundreds of distinct crayon colors over its history, with new shades sometimes added or retired. This vast spectrum allows for incredible artistic expression, from classic primary colors to nuanced pastels and metallics.
How many crayons are made each day?
The sheer volume of crayons manufactured daily is staggering, with millions rolling off production lines. This high production rate reflects the enduring popularity and widespread use of crayons in homes, schools, and art studios worldwide.
What are crayons made of?
The basic composition of a crayon involves paraffin wax and finely ground color pigments. These ingredients are melted, mixed, and then molded into the familiar stick shape. Some modern crayons also incorporate other waxes or binders for enhanced durability or scent.
National Crayon Day Activities
Order a customized box of crayons
Crayola offers customizable boxes of crayons – you select the box graphics, name personalization, and all the colors to include in your special box. It’s a great gift idea for the kid or adult who has everything!
Visit the Crayola Experience
If you are up for a road trip, you can visit one of the five Crayola Experience locations – Orlando, Florida; Chandler, Arizona; Plano, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota or Easton, Pennsylvania – where you can create a masterpiece, make crayon molds, and even name and wrap your own crayon.
Make a crayon candle
Since crayons are meltable, make a colorful candle using a few old crayons, small paper cups, candle wicks, wax flakes, popsicle sticks, and candle molds. Add a small piece of crayon to wax flakes in a paper cup, microwave for 45 seconds. Stir the melted wax with a popsicle stick and then pour it into a candle mold placing the wick in the center. Allow to set for 30 minutes then repeat if you’d like to add additional layers.
Five Fun Facts About Crayola Crayons
Inexpensive past-time
The first box of eight Crayola crayons sold for 5 cents; today, you can get a classic 8-count box for as little as 99 cents – still a great bargain!
Strong scent
In a US smell test, crayons were found to be the 18th most recognizable smell out of 80 items; a derivative of beef fat is what gives the crayon its scent and waxy feel.
Seven shades of blue
In 2001, Americans voted the classic color blue as their favorite crayon color; rounding out the top 10 were six additional shades of blue.
Leftovers
The used stubs of crayons are called “leftolas”.
Billions produced
Since Crayola began producing its crayons in 1903, over 230 billion crayons have been sold with annual production in 2019 reaching over 3 billion.
Why We Love National Crayon Day
It’s fun for everyone
Coloring isn’t just for kids. The adult coloring craze took off in 2015 and is holding steady. Coloring doesn’t require much artistic ability and a few crayons and coloring pages are inexpensive and easy to transport. That coupled with the calming effects coloring seems to have on adults, it is likely a trend here to stay that young and old alike can enjoy.
It gets our creative juices flowing
Crayons bring out the crafty side in us so having a dedicated day to this artistic tool can get the creative juices flowing. Check out the many artsy websites a quick search away for ideas on simple crafts for you and your family and friends.
Life is better in color
Trudi Pinnick Wolfe, a counselor at an elementary school in Beech Grove, Indiana, once asked a group of students to pick one crayon color with which to draw a complete picture. Next, she invited them to use as many colors as they wished to draw another picture. When she asked which did they like better, the students, of course, agreed they preferred the picture with more color – the diversity of color was not as boring.
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