“Upcycling” Old Crayons through Crayola’s Crayon Melter

In recent years, a trend emerged of creating art with melted wax. Typically this involves heating crayons, candles or other wax with a hair dryer and letting the wax drips fall on paper or canvas. Social media fueled the enthusiasm (#meltedcrayonart) for this crafty project.

Crayola saw an opportunity in 2018, with the environment in mind, to enhance this trend. Consumers with children often have a box or drawer full of used and broken crayons in their homes.

“We set out to create a safe, easy way for kids to create with melted wax,” said Scott Zelachowski, senior product manager, Crayola. “An additional benefit was finding a way to reuse those old crayons that tend to accumulate to help reduce waste.”

The result was the Crayon Melter, a pen-shaped tool that safely heats broken bits of crayons so they can be melted and applied to other surfaces. Designed for kids age 8 and above, the Crayon Melter has a low-heat tip to apply the wax, and it quickly dries to the touch. The melted crayons can be applied to poster board, cardboard, wood, glass and canvas, adding texture and color.

“The upcycling trend (aka ‘creative reuse’) is something that resonates with our consumers,” Zelachowski explained. “Taking used crayons, transforming them into something new through a creative, artistic process and saving them from the trash or landfills is a win-win for our consumers and the environment.”

Read more in Hallmark’s Caring in Action Social Responsibility Report.