Four Things to Know About Crayons

Coloring with crayons helps kids identify colors while working on their fine-motor skills. Check out Groupon’s guide to these educational art materials.

1. The first crayons cost less than 1 cent each. The first boxes of Crayola crayons sold in 1903 cost a nickel. Each box contained eight colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. As of 2014, Crayola makes a total of 120 colors, including 23 varieties of red alone.

2. They have a distinct smell. According to a Yale study, crayons are the 18th most recognizable smell to American adults. Topping the list: coffee and peanut butter.

3. Sure, you can eat them. Just as the crayons themselves are nontoxic, Crayola’s paper labels use a glue made from cornstarch and water, making them safe—though not advisable—to consume. Before the company used machines to apply the labels, local farmers used to do it by hand as a way to supplement their income during the winter.

4. Crayons are a national treasure. In 1958, Crayola wowed the coloring world with a box of 64 colors as well as a built-in crayon sharpener—an innovation that earned it a place in the National Museum of American History, right next to the original draft of the Constitution scrawled in magic marker.