We were at a playground last week, a dad came up to Ben and said "Hey, I like your blue water bottle."
Waxing nostalgic: the Crayola 64 color box (with sharpener!)
The 64 color box of Crayolas - the Holy Grail of crayon boxes.
By k krhin
Ben corrected him. "It's indigo."
Oh boy. "Sorry, he just got a new big box of crayons," I explained. "Wow! The one with the built-in sharpener?" the man said with a laugh. Ben nodded proudly.
I spotted it on the shelf at the store and felt awash with nostalgia. I had to buy it. The Crayola 64 crayon box, the Holy Grail of crayons. (did you know it's 52 years old now?) I don't recall owning a box growing up, but our grandmother did. We spent every Sunday after church on our bellies in her shag carpeting coloring and coloring. We wore the crayons down to nubs. But that was okay. Why? Because of the built-in sharpener of course! I don't know why I thought that box was for the privileged few. I found it on the shelf last week for just $2.54. A small price to pay for hours and hours of enjoyment. Way less than a fancy coffee drink or trashy checkout magazine. And yes I realize that they now have telescoping towers of crayons and boxes with 547 different shades, but there is something about this classic 64 color box. Yes, our kids must experience the array of colors offered in the bountiful box. Ben was thrilled with the treasure and brought each crayon to me one at a time to read him name of the color. I gladly did. 64 times. "Ooh, this one's cornflower, this one's periwinkle. And this one's macaroni and cheese!?"
(Apparently some colors have changed through the years.)
To see the evolution of Crayola hues from 1903-2010 check out this chart below from www.weathersealed.com (Read the post - it's pretty fantastic)
For a little more crayon nostalgia below is the classic "How crayons are made" video from Sesame Street. It is still fascinating after all of these years...Promise.
Apparently crayons are made on an assembly line full of nice grandparents at the Crayola factory in Pennsylvania.
I may be mistaken, but I believe the girl in the video is Jim Henson's daughter. And she makes the exact same cross-eyed look that she does in the "Two little girls and a little dollhouse" video when she's staring intently at the teeny tiny spoons..." but I digress.
What's your favorite crayon hue or memory from your colorful past ?
about the writer
k krhin
Star Tribune writers showcase Minnesota architecture.