Make: Online : How crayons were made

How crayons were made

I doubt the Crayola factory is full of big-smiled grey-haired ladies anymore, but I still enjoy this video from the 70s about how crayons are made, originally from Sesame Street. I'm just as mesmerized now as I was when I first watched it as a kid. Via Core77.

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Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: Kai Williams on September 18, 2008 at 11:37 PM

A more recent crayon video, no smiling grey hared ladies, but it sill looks cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBAEzaw5aN8

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Posted by: Ronnie on September 19, 2008 at 4:07 AM

Nowadays

The process is pretty much automated from just after someone pours the ingredients in until someone loads the finished product into shipping boxes. Grey-haired ladies nowhere to be found.

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Posted by: Aaron Smith on September 19, 2008 at 5:15 AM

Actually...

I worked there in the summer of '98 to help pay for college. I can't tell you how it looks NOW, but 10 years ago it looked just like it did in the video. Sure, there were a few of us younger workers there, but most of the full-time employees were old-timers, too.

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Posted by: ronnie on September 19, 2008 at 5:58 AM

I was watching it on "how it's made". It was for RoseArt's crayons, which are made with an injection mold. It looks like moving the crayons from the labeler finish bins to the box loading hoppers is the only in between step where they still need people, other than clearing jams and the like. Here's the episode if anyone's interested.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3w3e8_how-its-made-coloured-crayons_business

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Posted by: Brian on September 19, 2008 at 7:27 AM

My doctor told me that his friend did an autopsy on a man that worked there for like a 30 career. The interior of his lungs were visibly stained with multicolored crayon residue. The cause of death was completely unrelated to lung problems.

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Posted by: chris on September 19, 2008 at 11:27 AM

The first "How its made" I loved it too! thanks for bringing it back!

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