History & Fun Facts
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Faber-Castell 260 Years Old in 2021
For Faber-Castell the year 2011 was marked by an extraordinary event - the company's 250th birthday. Faber-Castell is thus one of the oldest industrial companies in the world and the oldest registered brand in the United States. In particular it was Baron Lothar von Faber who left a lasting mark... -
The name A.W. Faber:When the carpenter Kaspar Faber (1730-1784) started his own small pencil factory in Stein outside of Nuremberg in 1761, he laid the foundation for what is now the Faber-Castell company. The business was named "A.W. Faber" after his son Anton Wilhelm Faber (1758-1819) in the se...
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Whether for small notes or great art, classical literature or amateur artists: pencils are just as important in the digital age as they were in the past. That people worldwide have this access is all down to one man: Lothar von Faber, the pioneering pencil producer who was born over 200 years ago...
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Creativity for Kids - The Inspirational Story of the Brand
Phyllis and Evelyn attending their first International Toy Fair Trade Show in 1978. The inspirational story of “Creativity for Kids” begins with two women, Phyllis Brody and Evelyn Greenwald who believed in the power of creativity in children’s lives. This conviction came from their own childho... -
Creativity for Kids - The "Turkey Syndrome"
Do you remember tracing the outline of your hand and then coloring and decorating it to make a picture of a turkey? Every Thanksgiving season, all around the United States, classrooms are decorated with these turkeys, and when parents attend their children’s school open house they are greeted by ... -
Creativity for Kids - Original Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide children with experiences that stimulate and encourage their natural creativity Children are Important to Us We strive to be the leading innovator and provider of the best creative activity products for children Children Deserve our Best We operate our business in a re... -
In 1976 the company was originally called Creative Art Activities. Phyllis and Evelyn used a script version of the logo which was fine, but they wanted a graphical way to express the spirit of fun and creativity of the brand. In 1980 the company started to use the name Creativity for Kids. In 198...
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Creativity for Kids - Packaging
Original Creativity for Kids Packaging The very first Creativity for Kids kits were packaged in burlap bags! The first three kits were filled with inspiring materials for kids to experiment and create with. The Creative Art Bag ® series included Wood, Puppet and Fabric Projects. Packaging Today ... -
In 1997 Creativity for Kids was the first specialty toy manufacturer to have a website. Although it was fairly simple compared to our current more technically sophisticated website, it was jam packed with bright colors, inspirational projects and creative ideas.
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Faber-Castell & Creativity for Kids - An Acquisition
It was the Creativity for Kids Mission Statement that connected Faber-Castell and Creativity for Kids. Walking through the National Association of Art Materials trade show in the mid 1990's, Count Faber-Castell stopped at the Creativity for Kids booth. Initially, he was drawn in by the color... -
Creativity for Kids - Celebrates 40 Years
In 2016 Faber-Castell celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Creativity for Kids Brand at The North American International Toy Fair. "Toy Fair" is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. To mark the occasion, Faber-Castell staf... -
Faber-Castell Jousting Knights - Introduction
In 1905, shortly after taking over as Managing Director, Count Alexander (6th Generation) brought out a new range of top-quality pencils, which he called Castell. To distinguish them from his competitors, Count Alexander chose his regimental color for the paint coating: green and commissioned a p... -
Faber-Castell Jousting Knights - Vintage Cartoon Video
This historic animated cartoon (production date unknown) featuring a knights' tournament shows the advantages of a pencil compared to the writing instruments of the competitors. It is clearly communicating the jousting knights - part of the corporate logo of Faber-Castell. Watch the video -
A Brief Journey Through the History of Writing Instruments
About 50,000 to 60,000 years B.C., the stone hand axe would have been the first tool to be used by humans in attempting to scratch patterns into stone. Many such scrapers and gravers/burins have been found in caves in Southern France and Spain. For thousands of years, pictures remained the only ... -
An Illustrated History Of A Pencil Dynasty
In this almost 500 page book, Count Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell invites you to an entertaining journey through the history of the Faber-Castell family and company along with an exciting chapter of German industrial culture. Coffee Table Book -
Faber-Castell Pencil Production
Faber-Castell is the largest wood pencil manufacturer in the world.With almost 260 years in the business and producing 2.3 billion pencils every year, you could say we know a thing or two about making pencils! Watch the video: How a Pencil is Made - A Behind the Scenes Look at the Faber-Castell ... -
Lothar von Faber (1817-1896) fourth generation, took over management of the company as the oldest of five siblings after the death of his father, George Leonhard, in 1839. However, he saw to it that his two brothers Johann and Eberhard were also involved in the management of the company. Eberhard...
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The longest drawing measures 38,041 ft 9 in and was achieved by Faber-Castell Brazil at an event organized in the cities of São Paulo and São Carlos, as verified in Aracariguama, São Paulo, Brazil on July 20, 2017. The drawing was done by visitants of the Comic Con São Paulo in 2016 and then the...
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The oldest surviving example of a pencil dates back to the 17th century. A hand-made pencil was discovered in the 1960's during restoration work on the roof timbers of a Swabian farmhouse. Evidently a carpenter had forgotten it there many, many years before. Due to its age and rarity, this fabu...
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One of the Smallest Pencils in the World
Count Faber-Castell had a miniature pencil specially made as an appropriate gift on the occasion of the unveiling of the world's largest pencil in Malaysia. The miniature pencil was so much admired that it was decided to produce a limited edition of 50 pieces which were given as Christmas gifts t... -
The tallest pencil in the world measures 64.8 ft. tall and 2 ft. 7 ½ in. in diameter! Since November of 2002 it stands in a glass tower at Faber-Castell Malaysia. This colossus, is a giant edition of the famous hexagonal green Castell 9000 Pencil. To celebrate the opening of the Faber-Castell Ma...
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Breadcrumbs were used to erase pencil marks before it was discovered that natural rubber does the job better. Its rubbing-out properties were constantly improved by means of additives, so that an increasing variety of types became available. In the early 1860's A.W. Faber was producing pencils w...
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Faber-Castell Castell 9000 Born in 1905
In 1905 the Castell 9000 - a genuinely classic pencil - was launched by Count Alexander von Faber-Castell (6th Generation). Its quality and finely graduated degrees of lead hardness have made it a firm favorite with artists and illustrators. The pencil inspired the Italian special effects artist... -
The Fascination of Writing in Pencil
The success of the Faber-Castell Brand is due partly to the rediscovered attraction of writing in pencil. The American author Owen Edwards captures this idea with his poetic description of the pencil as the instrument on which the music of the soul is played. The pencil, with its long tradition... -
What's So Special About the Pencil?
What Other Writing Instrument Can Claim to be Such An All-Rounder?There are many arguments in favor of the "good old lead pencil", which of course should really be the graphite pencil. It's economical and environment-friendly, and it lasts for hundreds of years. We will not be able to stop the u... -
Did You Know... About the Importance of Creativity?
Children who are involved in creative activities are 8x more likely to receive a patent or start a business. Creativity can develop imagination, problem solving and critical thinking skills needed for future success. Creativity is now recognized as the single most important ingredient in any mod...