• USA Today, Wednesday, December 6, 2006 11:16 AM

Crayola is reinventing itself, and CEO Mark Schwab says sales of the company's new toys and uber-crafts may pass those of its core line of crayons and drawing products by the end of the decade.

It has just concocted a $15 monster-face pencil sharpener that belches when it finishes sharpening. It has also rolled-out scented crayons, markers and pencils that go by such un-Crayola names as Booger Buster, Soda Burp and Alien Armpit. And thirsty kids can now slurp Screamin' Green or Purple Pizzazz vitamin fruit drinks from Crayola.

The company is working overtime this holiday season to reinvent itself as a flashy maker of $20 crafts gifts, from a "no-mess" spin-art machine to a mess-proof spray-painter that's emerging as one of its best-selling new products in decades. It's tripling its holiday marketing budget, says Steven Ferry, a senior manager.

Crayola has even reinvented its name. For a century, it has operated under the Binney & Smith moniker--and been mistaken for everything from a law firm to a doctor's practice. Its privately held owner, Hallmark Cards, last month announced the name will be changed to Crayola on Jan. 1.

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