5. SNAP!

 

5/ SNAP! That was one of the more satisfying sounds of childhood — to hear the closing of the steel case of water colors. American Crayon Company may have been known among more children for its watercolor paints in grade school than for their crayons. ACC’s most successful brand was Prang, known by their distinctive black cases with red circle or oval. The lids flipped up and contained trays for mixing water and colors. The eight or more color ovals had to be added by hand —a task no machine could manage. Sometime in the mid 70s ACC after they were acquired, they company switched from the steel cases to the white plastic one you see at the bottom of the large picture. Even then, in my kid brain, I somehow felt this was a bad sign and that things were on a downward trend for the company. No more satisfying SNAP! 

 This and other stories are contained in The Color Capital of the World: Growing Up with the Legacy of a Crayon Company available here.