What are Some Memorable #BackToSchool Brands?

While many students have already returned to school, I recall always starting the new school year the day after Labor Day in my youth. So, to pay tribute to the first day of school, always a fun day to get new books, classes, and teachers, let's consider some memorable back to school brands.

But first, did you know that Americans are set to spend a total of $39 billion on back to school shopping this year? According to the National Retail Federation, last year, American consumers spent a record $41.5 billion on back to school shopping, which amounted to more than $890 per household. According to Mark Matthews, NRF's Executive Director of Research, "Any other time of year, items like stationery, apparel, and electronics would fall under the discretionary spending umbrella. [But] back to school is not a discretionary event; it's really essential spending. If you're sending your kid off to college, you've got to buy furniture. You've got to buy shoes, because kids continue to grow."

TARGET AND BEST BUY

Some retail stores have lots of ads for the Back to School season, and rightly so since their products are season-appropriate. Target advertises its clothing, and Best Buy advertises its technology products including computers, tablets, and smartphones.

TICONDEROGA

With the digital age, it may not be too common to always have a pencil nearby, but the most famous pencil will always be Ticonderoga. We've all used them, but do you know the writing implement's history?

According to the company's website, "As one of America's oldest corporations, the Dixon Ticonderoga Company traces its heritage to the proponents of the American Revolution and the very foundations of the United States. Dixon Ticonderoga is rooted in innovation and continues to embody the inventive spirit of American visionary Joseph Dixon. In 1812, the son of a ship captain, Joseph Dixon had a curious mind and an entrepreneurial spirit. He enjoyed experimenting with various uses for graphite found on his father's sailing vessels. He mixed the mineral with clay and water, rolled it into strips, and baked it in his mother's oven. He then pressed the mixture into grooved cedar wood, and the first Dixon pencil was created."

Despite being introduced in 1829, it wasn't until the Civil War (1866) – when soldiers were seeking a more practical alternative to the quill pen for writing home – that the pencil became widely adopted. Rising demand forced Dixon to invent a machine capable of producing 132 pencils per minute. At the time of his death in 1869, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was the largest manufacturer of graphite products in the world; and by 1872, the company made 86,000 pencils a day.

In 1913, the yellow No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil was introduced. It was originally manufactured with brass ferrule but was temporarily changed to green plastic due to a metal shortage during World War II. The now-iconic color scheme continued after the war. And lastly, according to the company, a single Ticonderoga pencil can write up to 45,000 words!

SHARE THIS: A single Ticonderoga pencil can write up to 45,000 words! ~@WeRTiconderoga #FunFact #BacktoSchoolBrands #DebbieLaskeysBlog 

And of course, for the recent Players Weekend sponsored by Major League Baseball, several players chose to customize their weekend experience by using bats that honored the Ticonderoga pencil!

CRAYOLA

Who can forget the box of multi-color crayons? It was always fun to choose a crayon out of the box when all were new. My favorite colors were aquamarine and turquoise blue! And did you notice that the logo has a colorful smile in it?!

According to the website, "Crayola has inspired creativity since the first box of Crayola crayons rolled off the assembly line in 1903; and the brand has grown into a portfolio of innovative art tools, crafting activities, and creative toys that inspire kids to explore, discover, play, pretend, and dream.

The company began when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin's father's pigment business in 1885. Early products included red oxide pigment used as barn paint and carbon black used in car tires. After noticing a need for safe, high quality, affordable wax crayons, in 1903, Crayola produced the first box of eight crayons and sold them for 5 cents...Crayola has been a business of Hallmark Cards since 1984 and has offices in Canada, Mexico, Italy, Australia, Asia, and the United Kingdom...The Company carried the name of its founders, Binney & Smith, until 2007 when it changed its name to Crayola to reflect its number one brand."

And did you know that in July 2024, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent to the arts and crafts giant for the smell of its crayons? The smell was described in the trademark application as "a slightly earthy soap with pungent, leather-like clay undertones." According to Crayola CEO Pete Ruggiero, "That Crayola smell, there's a connection between the smell and childhood memories that is very powerful. We imagine one day pumping [the smell] through the aisles of retailers, triggering nostalgia while shoppers are browsing and hopefully buying more crayons." According to the company, it sells 30 percent of its products online on websites like Amazon.com with the other 70 percent from brick-and-mortar retailers including Walmart, Target, and Staples.

Lastly, the iconic art supplies are made at a factory in Easton, Pennsylvania, with a total production of up to 13 million crayons per day in 400 different colors.

SHARE THIS: When we nurture creativity in our kids, it shapes who they become. ~@Crayola #BacktoSchoolBrands #DebbieLaskeysBlog

SHARPIE

Sharpie highlighters and markers are another memorable Back to School brand. The highlighters are a study companion for marking information on notes, texts, and papers. They are quick-drying and odorless, and are dependable for school projects, flip charts in the classroom, and much more. And, did you know that there are over 40 colors of Sharpies?

Here's a brief history, "In 1857, Frederick W. Redington and William H. Sanford, Jr. founded Sanford Manufacturing Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. The company focused on producing and selling ink and glue. In 1866, the company expanded and moved to Chicago. In 1927, in celebration of Sanford’s 70th birthday, the company commissioned Norman Rockwell to create a painting for advertising use. The ad appeared in several magazines with the caption, “It's lucky for you, child, your Gran'dad wrote this will with Sanford's Ink!"

"From 1930-1964, Sanford continued to grow. Quality products and strong distribution helped the company prosper, even through the Great Depression. In 1940, the company changed its name to Sanford Ink Company. In 1964, Sanford turned the company's focus to the emerging marker business and introduced the Sharpie marker. The Sharpie Fine Point black marker became the first pen-style permanent marker. It wrote on almost any surface from glass, wood, and stone, to plastic, metal, and, of course, paper. NBC talk show hosts Johnny Carson and Jack Parr were some of the first celebrity endorsers. By the end of 2002, over 200 million Sharpie markers were produced, enough for approximately two Sharpie markers for every household in America!"

SHARE THIS: The world is your canvas. Sharpie takes you from idea to impact. ~Sharpie #BacktoSchoolBrands #DebbieLaskeysBlog

What Back to School brands do you remember from your youth or college days? Chime in and share.

Image Credit: Major League Baseball featuring Salvador Perez from the Kansas City Royals.

Watch the journey of making a pencil:

https://weareticonderoga.com/journey-of-a-pencil/

Catch the Sharpie Bus for exciting interactive experiences with Sharpie Creative Markers!

https://www.sharpie.com/livetour.html