Are crayons just crayons?

Having a young child exposes you to things that you just wouldn't otherwise think about.

"Such as", I hear you ask. Well, crayons.

But surely a crayon is just a crayon. Are there really differences between one crayon and another?

In a word, "yes". The differences are huge. Not just in quality, but also in parental comfort. For most people in North America crayons are synonymous with Crayola. Originally a brand of Binney & Smith a US-based art supply manufacturer, the company is now simply known as Crayola.

So why should I care? It is not unusual for restaurants to provide special menus and a three-pack of crayons for children. My three-year old loves the crayons and loves to scribble on the menu. (She is still colouring well outside the lines.)

Given the brand recognition, said to be over 99% in the United States, you would think that it would be a "no brainer" for any restaurant to default to handing out Crayola crayons to kids. Some, such as IHOP (International House of Pancakes), do hand out Crayola crayons. But last week I went to Milestones. Despite the fact that the chain is much more upscale, and expensive, than IHOP, their crayons were a no-name blue box imported from China by 511 foodservice Ltd.

Given the not unexpected level of concern about the safety of products from China, I don't know how comfortable I am letting my daughter play with the no-name crayons. I'm sure that Milestones saves all of 25 cents per child, but I don't think that is a good enough reason to forgo the comfort that parents like me associate with a brand like Crayola.