Crayola to offer colorful coronavirus masks for school kids

Wearing masks to school might not appeal to kids as much as dressing up for Trick or Treat — but Crayola thinks it can make the practice entertaining as children prepare to head back to classrooms amid a resurging COVID-19 pandemic.

The crayon maker collaborated with manufacturer SchoolMaskPack to create a “five-day mask system for kids,” which Parents magazine touted as “this year’s must-have back-to-school item.”

“It’s looking more and more like wearing masks is the new normal,”  says SchoolMaskPack spokesperson Hans Lao. “You should want a fresh mask every day like you want a fresh pair of underwear each day.”

Available for preorder now, the five-mask packages cost $29.99 for kids sizes and $39.99 for adults and will arrive from their Thailand factory to US warehouses by the end of the month, then ship to customers at the beginning of August, according to Lao.

Kids can choose from masks in brightly colored solids or with whimsical images of smiling bug-eyed crayons or sleepy orange suns. The masks also come in adult-friendly stripes or solids. Kids can write their names on a tag sewn into each mask. A bead on the ear flaps will enable wearers to adjust the fit.

The makers intend for children to wear a different mask each day, then place them in a mesh bag that comes with each set so their parents can easily launder them over the weekend.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that children are not at a greater risk than adults of contracting the virus, it recommends that kids older than 2 wear masks in public settings.

Founded in 1885 by Binney & Smith in 1885, Crayola, which has given the world colors like laser lemon, tumbleweed, and carnation pink, belongs to Hallmark. This mask venture is the company’s first collaboration with SchoolMaskPack.