What is it about crayons?
If there is one thing I remember as a child, it's crayons.
There was that bright yellow box trimmed in dark green with the same green lettering. Inside were the colors of the world!
Ah, the sharp, unused point of each crayon cried out to be carefully taken out of the box, eased into a set of fingers, and postioned on the coloring page to bring life into a plain, back and white drawing.
I could press very hard to get the darkest shade possible, or I could outline the picture and shade inside the lines. In my hay day of coloring (1949-1957), we could have up to 48 colors--unheard of since 1903 when Binney and Smith first came out with the first 8 colors.
In 1958, we could boast 64 colors, 72 colors in 1972, 80 in 1990, 96 in 1993, and 120 colors in 1998! (Crayola.com/"Color Corner, Crayola Crayon Technology." 2000-2012.) Where are you located?
My mom bought me crayons as a child and again after I started teaching. She would say, "Everyone needs new crayons every year." I continue to buy crayons for my grandchildren, now called Crayola Twistables.
I still color from time to time alone or with my grandkids, but there was something about the crayons back in the 50's that is not there now. The colors were deeper and fuller, not as waxy and dull as today. I did get lost when I colored as a child--lost in the picture of the day. Maybe it is I who has changed, not so much the crayons.
