The TA stares down a jolly red crayon sporting Mickey Mouse hands.
Road Trip! The Crayola Factory, in Easton, Pennsylvania. is dedicated to all budding artists, or any kid who likes showing that coloring book who's boss. In terms of DIY creativity, it runs a rainbow of rings around Disney World.
While manufacturing plants for Binney and Smith's Crayola Crayons are scattered throughout the Lehigh Valley, the Crayola Factory allows kids to immerse themselves in a sorts of creative activity involving crayons, washable markers, chalk, watercolors, finger paints, and interactive video. All without the bother of messy clean-up or those annoying factory-mandated hairnets.
But there's more! Upstairs you'll find the National Canal Museum at Two Rivers Landing. You see, Easton straddles the historic confluence of the "Prussian Blue" Delaware River (separating the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the state of New Jersey - for which generations of Pennsylvanians are eternally grateful) and the "Wild Blue Yonder" Lehigh River. In fact, the first crayon ever manufactured and guided through a complex series of canal locks by donkeys of "Raw Siena" who ate carrots of "Outrageous Orange" was handcrafted by one Thadeus G. Pencilhoffer in 1868. Pencilhoffer was a colorful character. Despite a bleak and colorless childhood on a Dutch settlement just east of . . . .
History. Schmistory.
Where are all the crayons?
The TA loads up on ammo at patented crayon kiosk.
Crayon-palooza!
The TA dives into an overflowing bin of crayons.
Seated to her immediate right is her cousin, herein known as "Cousin X."
The TA dives into an overflowing bin of crayons.
Seated to her immediate right is her cousin, herein known as "Cousin X."
The TA sharpens her wallpaper writing skills.
Rocking out to the Interactive Video Color Simulator.
One mess I'm not cleaning up.
The World's Largest Crayon.
15 Feet. 16 inches in diameter. 1,500 pounds.
Derived from 123,000 blue "leftolas" donated by kids around the world,
Crayon-zilla is capable of drawing a ten-mile line or coloring in a football field.
The Coloring Book for would probably take out entire Northwest Forest.
The TA scampers into the injection mold for Crayon-zilla.
The TA channels Charles Strickland in "The Moon and Sixpence"
She dropped everything and said,
"I must paint."
"I must paint."
Later, The TA and Cousin X share a precious moment by the garbage cans.Anne Geddes would be rightfully quite horrified.
From our hotel window in lovely Newark, NJ, Dad spies our next adventure.
