Prompt Cast
The History and Evolution of Crayons: From Encaustic Art to Crayola
TLDR Crayons have a long history, with encaustic art being a precursor to the modern crayon. The rise of crayons was influenced by industrialization, the need for education, and the mass production by companies like Crayola.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The hosts of the podcast discuss their experiences and fears during Hurricane Irma, including power outages and fallen trees.
04:55
The hosts discuss their experiences during Hurricane Irma, including a peaceful night without power and the loss of their cat.
09:41
Crayons have only been around since the latter half of the 19th century, but there were other waxy forms of art, such as batik, that involved wax and pigment.
14:56
Encaustic art, which involves melting pigment and wax together, is similar to the concept of crayons and was used by famous artists like Da Vinci and Edward Munch before the invention of crayons.
20:19
The modern crayon was invented in the late 18th century, with Joseph La Mercier producing wax crayons in the 1820s, but they were difficult to work with until a Czech company started making crayons out of a coal byproduct called Saracen, which was softer and cheaper than beeswax.
25:50
The rise of crayons was influenced by industrialization, the need for children to be educated, and the mass production of crayons by companies like Crayola.
30:49
Binnie and Smith, the company that eventually became Crayola, started manufacturing non-toxic crayons in the 1880s after Mr. Binnie's wife, Alice, who was a teacher, suggested it, and they are still mostly made in the U.S. today.
36:02
Crayola crayons became so iconic and synonymous with their product that other brands of crayons didn't look right or evoke the same emotional response.
40:59
Crayola crayons bought a rival company called Munsell and changed the names of their colors to more kid-friendly and imaginative names, realizing that the name of the color is just as important as the color itself.
46:16
Crayola changed the name of the color "Indian red" to "chestnut" and has retired the names "Flesh" and "Prussian blue" from their crayon colors.
51:13
Crayola is releasing a new blue crayon called Blutiful, which was named by kids through a voting process.
Categories:
Society & Culture
