When Did Macaroni & Cheese Become A Crayola Color?
Written: Jan 17 '02 (Updated Nov 09 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Perfect size for travel, non-toxic, the Crayola name.
Cons: No sharpener, box wears out, the addition of tickle me pink.
The Bottom Line: Crayola, the first name in crayons. Perfect for children of all ages. Stock up, kick back and enjoy the fun!
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: Crayola 24 Crayons |
Rehashing my youth, I sat down on the patio yesterday, enjoyed some sun and spent some time with my brood. No Lego’s were involved [shocking isn’t it], just the simple, fun and entertaining practice of breaking in some new crayons. Yes, crayons. Before I get into the meat of this review I have to tell you about ‘the brood’. They are all eggheads; simply meaning that they would rather play in the basement with chemistry sets or build things to blow up rather than do ‘normal’ kid type things. So the normal coloring books are pretty much out of the question. They want anatomy, space and geography coloring books – which makes my job five times harder. Ever try to find those types of coloring books?
Crayola
The name itself means quality. I am sure that almost every person has had at least one Crayola product in their hands at one point or another in their lifetime. If you haven’t – what are you waiting for? Crayola has been in the business of entertaining children of all ages for almost 100 years. The first set was introduced in 1903, contained 8 basic colors and was sold for a nickel.
What Can You Do With 24 Colors?
Sure, there are larger sets out there that offer more colors, hues and possibilities – but it’s just opinion that this is the best set for portability. How many times have you found yourself picking up crayons in the car, playroom or kitchen table? I was one of those insane mothers that thought ‘bigger is always better’. No, I have nothing against the 64, 96 or 120 count sizes – but unless your kids are hard-core artists – the 24 count set is as close to perfect as you can get.
24 colors and yes I am going to name them all. I am not making up these names – so please don’t think this is a joke. Yellow, goldenrod, green yellow, yellow green, green, forest green. Apricot, orange, red orange, tickle me pink, red, violet red, violet red and macaroni and cheese. Orchid, violet, blue violet, black, gray, white and brown. Blue, turquoise blue and robin’s egg blue.
Maybe I am going to show my true age here – but when did macaroni and cheese become a color? Sorry but it looks light orange to me – and when I make macaroni and cheese it looks yellow, not orange. More to the point tickle me pink; what is that all about?
Given that my little eggheads request such unusual coloring books – called Activity Books by them – I would have thought that the 24 pack wouldn’t have offered them enough variety. Much to my surprise, this is the set they come back to time and time again when they get the urge to get creative with crayons.
The Basics
Do I really need to tell you how to use a crayon? Open box, select color, apply to paper with varying degree of pressure, sign name, hand to mother to hang on refrigerator. Sure, if it were ever that cut and dry it would be a miracle.
The Crayola 24 Pack comes in a cardboard box with a slide in lid. I remember the old boxes that had a flip up lid and how we were always told to be careful and not rip the sides. This type of box will hold up to about 30 days of hard-core use before it starts to wear out. No amount of tape or crafty ‘mom repair’ can help it them. Invest in a nice sturdy plastic box to avoid this type of situation.
One other suggestion is this – if you are using these for smaller kids who were used to the larger ‘chunky’ type crayons you can take a piece of clear tape [scotch tape] and wrap it lengthwise around the body of the crayon for a little added stability to keep them from breaking. You won’t be able to use a regular crayon sharpener if you do this so pick up and electric sharpener at any office supply store. Most run about $5.00 - $7.00 dollars.
Non-Toxic
My brood are first hand, living proof that these Crayola crayons are 100% non-toxic. They have all eaten their share of colors, which resulted in my gasping in horror at the end result of such actions. Translation – what goes in must come out. To quote my son Ian “Mummy, look I’ve got red poo”. Not exactly something you want to hear a child shout from the bathroom. But it is a valuable life lesson. If you know your kids will eat crayons – don’t get panic stricken if you are given a colorful present. Of course you should try to get the upper hand and keep them from eating them – but kids will be kids.
What To Do With The Nubs?
Nubs – those pesky little pieces that are left over from hours or coloring or the pieces that are broken and left discarded on the floor. Not being one to pass up a challenge I came up with some great uses for these poor little things. When I make my candles [beeswax only] I melt a few drops of the crayon into the wax for added color. You can wait until the wax has started to set and then stir with a clean coffee stirrer – add multiple colors for a tie-dye effect. I like to get a large piece of packing tape and tape the crayon left overs to it to make a ‘mega crayon’. Apply the pieces and press them onto the tape with even pressure. When you are done, trim the tape and glue it to a piece of thick cardboard so it is easy to grip. Great for making rainbows or coloring large backgrounds.
The Perfect Gift
When the back-to-school sales start – I am in absolute heaven! I stock up on crayons, paints and paper of all kind – and my closets are a true reflection of this. The 24 pack is a great small gift to give any child, that’s where the non-toxic feature comes in handy.
They are also the perfect size for backpacks, in the car for long trips or to squelch arguments over who gets to play with the Gameboy next – start passing out the crayons and get ready for some peace and quiet. Keep a nice supply on hand for unexpected guests that arrive with toddlers and you are sure to be swamped with color creations from budding artists!
The Bad
One of the only things that I can see as a shortcoming of the 24 back is the lack of darker colors. There is only one shade of brown, one dark blue and two deep purples. Sure you can blend them together but I would have liked to have seen a little less in the pink and red department and a little more in other colors. This also leads down the ‘crayon sharpener’ road – have you ever tried looking for one? Unless I am a complete moron [don’t answer that] I have yet to find one that isn’t electric. So until Crayola starts selling these outside the 64 count packs – my kids are stuck using eyeliner sharpeners. Not very pretty, but completely practical.
Bottom Line
I’ve trusted the Crayola name for more years than I care to admit. Quality, creativity and fun are just three of the many things that come to mind when I see that yellow and green box. For more information on the Crayola family of products, feel free to stop by their website for the latest products, great activities, contests and daily additions to the Crayola Activity Book. www.crayola.com
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
Other Crayola product reviews …
• Big MiniStampers • Doodle Pad • Watercolor Pencils • Art & Craft Brushes – 8 Count • Create-A-Kid • Collecting Keepsakes • Halloween Treat Pack • Halloween Boo Bucket • Washable Water Colors – 8 Color • Pencil Pouch • Crayola Crayons – 24 Count • Metallic Crayons • Superfine Markers – 5 Count • Gel FX Washable Markers • Tub of Fun • Crayola Sketch Pad • Point Tip Scissors • Sidewalk Chalk – Chicks & Eggs • Art & Craft Brushes – 4 Count • Twistables – 16 Count • Stack-N-Store Art Tower • Washable Water Colors – 24 Color • Sidewalk Chalk – Animal Assortment • Crayola Lap Desk • Click ‘Em On Washable Markers • Washable Markers – 16 Count • Alphabet & Number Pad • Blunt Tip Scissors • Spinning Desk Top Organizer • Crayola Online Store •
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): .50 cents
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.