‘Camp Crayola’ introduces the brand’s biggest adult-focused lineup in 123 years
As adults battle burnout and seek creative, screen-free ways to decompress—look no further than the cozy coloring and grandma hobbies trends—some heritage kids’ brands are rethinking priorities and products to meet the moment.
Among those coloring outside the lines is Crayola, which in June unveiled “All Grown Up,” the biggest adult-focused product line, and shift in brand tone, in its 123-year history. And to mark its entry into the adult creative space, the brand hosted a “Camp Crayola” launch event for grown-ups on June 29 in Brooklyn.
Nearly 2,000 people showed up to Domino Park to embrace their imaginative side and test out Crayola’s new alcohol-based markers, acrylic paint markers and collection of artist-illustrated coloring books with cheeky themes, like “I Feel Old” and the cocktail-inspired “Stay Hydrated.”
Across freeform coloring sessions, blending masterclasses, a tote bag customization station and iPads equipped with Crayola’s new adult coloring app, attendees tested out the All Grown Up products in a polished setting built for comfort and connection. Wooden tent structures, canoe installations, botanicals, a campfire vignette and other details drove home the summer camp theme.
“It’s a combination of taking what we’ve done really well for 123 years, bringing it to a professional standard for adults, and elevating the content and the experience to a space where it’s authentic and adults can connect with it in an organic way,” says Ben Thomas, cco and evp-marketing at Crayola.
Visitors were also invited to dance and sing along to old-school jams being spun by DJ Trail Mixx, enjoy a dirty soda from Cool Sips and Jones Soda at The Cool Canteen, lounge on plush furniture and color in The Cozy Cabin, and stop by the cosmic-inspired Constellation Outpost to check out dreamy screen visuals and otherworldly designs from Crayola’s “Mercury in Retrograde” adult coloring book.
“There was a lot of energy in the DJ Trail Mixx corner,” says Thomas. “We had throwback music on, people coloring by the campfire with throwback coloring content, and just reconnecting with a creative side that they haven’t nurtured as much as they would like, or as much as they have had time for.”
Camp Crayola wasn’t a one-and-done and effort, either. Thomas says the brand is looking into bringing the pop-up experience to other U.S. cities. The company has additionally launched After Dark Nights for adults at its Crayola Experience centers, and plans to integrate All Grown Up products into those events.
“This is such a big opportunity for our brand,” Thomas says. “We’re really excited about enabling and helping adults to reconnect, rediscover their imagination, discover some calm, build their confidence and have a little bit of fun while they’re doing it.”
Photos: Courtesy of Crayola; @crayola/Instagram
