NEW YORK, June 4 -- Ever wonder what to do with the hundreds of Crayola crayons your kids have worn down into tiny wax bits? The Crayola company has come up with a colorful solution (of course) that lets kids melt down their well-used burnt sienna bits, periwinkle pieces or any color beyond the built-in sharpener and turn them into brand new crayons.
Kids at the international flagship store Toys "R" Us Times Square in New York City today were the first to make their own magentas, wild watermelons and any other colors they could dream up using the new Crayola Crayon Maker.
The tabletop crayon factory gives new life to the hundreds of castaway crayons enthusiastic colorers have accumulated, yet don't want to part with.
"A child will wear down about 730 crayons by his or her 10th birthday," says Stacy Gabrielle, Crayola spokesperson. "Parents were looking for something to do with all the little crayon nubs their children stockpile."
Kids can create new crayons in their favorite colors and invent totally new shades by melting together different colored wax bits to make multi-colored crayons. That means they can also create colorful names to accompany Crayola favorites like brick red and sky blue.
"Kids love crayons and the open-ended, imaginative play they inspire. The Crayon Maker adds a whole new dimension to that creative experience," says Chris Byrne, contributing editor of Toy Wishes magazine, and also known as The Toy Guy.
Now that there's a solution for what to do with all those waxy bits and pieces, the maker of Crayola crayons needs a name for those little nubs of color and is asking America to help them "Dub the Nub." At Crayola.com, you can nominate and vote for your favorite names, and also find some crayon making "recipes." Crayola will announce the winning name in October.
The Crayola Crayon Maker sells for about $29.99, and is currently available at Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and all other mass merchandisers in July.
Toys "R" Us, one of the world's leading retailers of toys, children's apparel and baby products, currently sells merchandise through 1,608 stores worldwide: 700 toy stores in the United States, 512 international toy stores, including franchise stores; 183 Kids "R" Us children's clothing stores; 170 Babies "R" Us stores; and 43 Imaginarium stores, and through its Internet sites at http://www.toysrus.com, http://www.babiesrus.com, and http://www.imaginarium.com.
