The smartest brand collaborations remind us fondly of somebody we used to be.

There are certain products that stay with us for life.

For many people, LEGO is one of them. Crayola is another.

You probably haven’t held a wax crayon in years. Yet you can still picture the yellow-and-green box. You remember peeling back the paper wrapper.

I bet you can even recall that subtle scent people describe as waxy, warm, slightly sweet … and instantly recognizable.

One whiff and you’re back at a classroom desk, drawing dinosaurs, flowers, or scarily good predictions of the Cybertruck, while the clock moved slower than it ever would again.

Those moments mattered more than we realize.

Crayola seems to understand that. Lately the 120-year-old brand has been bringing its colours into products aimed squarely at adults.

First came last year’s surprisingly effective Jones Soda collaboration, turning classic Crayola colours into brightly coloured soft drinks.

Image: Crayola / Jones Soda

Then came beauty products with Clinique.

And just now, colourful CamelBak water bottles, complete with lids shaped like oversized crayons.

The Jones Soda version is still my own fave.

The colours feel playful, but combined with the bottle shapes it does something even better.

They’re JUST crayon-like enough to trigger recognition, yet still look SO refreshingly drinkable. Somehow they make me thirsty before they make me nostalgic.

And the box (with bonus crayons and colouring pages inside) smashes it home.

Nostalgia alone rarely sells much.

The strongest collabs connect a positive memory to something people naturally do today.

Things like drinking soda, carrying water, or putting on makeup. The childhood association gives you a smile.

And the grown-up product provides the reason to buy. (And for those of us with kids, a reminder of how we treasure the origin of the feeling.)

In I Need That, I discuss how products become powerful when they connect to identities, goals, and emotionally meaningful experiences.

Familiarity lowers resistance. Positive memories increase attraction. Together, they can make an everyday product feel wildly compelling.  

Crayola is selling you a tiny piece of how it felt to be a kid.

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as product marketing consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.