Crayola reunites adults with their childhood art from 40 years ago

For many children, coloring with crayons is their first foray into creativity. From the moment they grasp their first crayon, a world of imagination unfolds. Yet, as life moves forward, the artwork created in childhood often gets lost or forgotten. To preserve these childhood creations, Crayola launched a campaign forty years ago to collect and display children's artwork in museums and galleries nationwide, their official website.

The art supply giant is now returning these original artworks to the now-adult creators, documenting their reactions and the role of creativity in their lives.

The campaign aims to encourage kids to be more creative as they grow up. The company's YouTube video features four individuals reunited with their childhood artworks. The video has gained popularity, amassing over 1 million views and 7.7K likes. The clip showcases four artists from diverse backgrounds, each deeply connected to their creative roots. The video successfully captured all of their happy and emotional reactions to being reunited with the unique works of art that they made as kids.

Victoria Lozano, EVP of Marketing at Crayola, said, "These films capture just a few of the stories we've encountered that bring to life the enduring value of childhood creativity," per Bored Panda. She also pointed out how the stories of the four artists demonstrated the vital role parents had in helping develop creative mindsets with their children. The campaign served as a way to create meaningful conversations about being able to produce the right resources for kids to expand their creativity. The company also worked with the Ad Council Research Institute to better understand parents' views about creativity.

The study examined parental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors towards creativity. The results of the study showcased that 9 out of 10 parents believed creativity was crucial for their child. Interestingly enough, it also revealed that more than 60% of parents did not think that their children were being creative enough. Coupled with this, 29% expressed that they faced challenges in creating creative activities for their kids, while 53% thought that they needed to be creative to foster the same quality amongst their children. Lozano also spoke about how creative moments that took place at home allowed kids to develop creativity as a life-long skill. Currently, the company hopes to return over 1000 pieces of art from their archives to their owners in the coming years.

The post about the campaign, which has been shared on Instagram, has received appreciation from many. People were very touched by the company's gesture and shared their thoughts about it in the comment section. @accidentalchalkartist commented, "This is so sweet! Their reactions are priceless!" @wellwovenrugs said, "Crayola = creativity. As kids growing up, they were our first creative tools as kids, long before Photoshop or Canva. It all started with crayons."