When people think of glue, they think of Elmer's. What began more than 150 years ago in a small shop -- with three people and one product -- has now grown into one of the most recognized consumer brands in North America.
With its easy-to-spot orange and blue logo lining store shelves, it's no wonder Elmer's is a household name.
It was May 11, 1857 when Gail Borden founded Borden Inc. It wasn't until 1929 that Borden bought the Casein Company of America -- the leading manufacturer of glues made from casein, a by-product of milk. Almost 20 years later, Borden introduced its first multi-purpose consumer white glue known as Elmer's Glue All.
Borden made a name for itself with the help of the 'Elsie the Cow' logo -- which represented the food side of the business. By 1939 Borden needed a replacement for Elsie the cow and her bovine husband 'Elmer' was the natural choice. Elmer became a huge hit with the public and was often seen in advertising campaigns with Elsie and the rest of their brood. A little over a decade later, Elmer became the official trademark symbol for all adhesives in the Borden line... and he's been the face of Elmer's packaging ever since.
Since hitting the market in 1967, Elmer's Washable School Glue has climbed its way to the top of teachers' supply lists making Elmer's a proverbial part of 'going back to school'. The early 80s was the birth of the glue stick -- making life in the classroom a lot less messy.
In the early 1990's, Elmer's began marketing Krazy Glue, the best-known brand of instant adhesives in North America, with the hard-to-forget image of a man in the hardhat suspended from a construction beam.
Other product innovations have continued in the Elmer's hardware line. From the first sandable, fast-grabbing wood glue in 1975 -- where the carpenter's dream came true with Carpenter's Wood Glue, to the introduction of Ultimate Glue in 2002, a product that bonds virtually anything. Elmer's simplifies home repairs and inspires confidence in a job well done for millions of do-it-yourselfers across North America. Today Elmer's hardware products are toolbox essentials.
In the mid-1990's Borden was bought by a private firm and Elmer's launched as a separate operating company. Its focus became creating leading adhesives for school, crafts, hardware and do-it-yourself home repairs.
In 2000, Elmer's acquired Ross Products, a move that has thrust them into the world of creative arts and crafts. Most popular is the Elmer's family of mess-free paint products, eliminating the need for mess mixing bowls. Today the product line consists of Paintastics, Squeeze N Brush and 3D Washable Paint Brush Pens.
Two years later, Elmer's merged with the Hunt Corporation, moving into the world of office supplies with a wide range of staplers, sharpeners and precision cutting-tools including knives, blades and trimmers under the X-ACTO and Boston brands.
More recent acquisitions has continued to broaden the product lines and company focus. In 2006, acquisitions of Scientific Explorer, Giddy Up and Color Loco expanded Elmers' portfolio even further into children's publishing, educational toys and licensed products.
Elmer's has grown its family of products by leaps and bounds. In fact, in 2007 Elmer's launched a trade campaign to educate retailers about its full product line.
It's message?
"If you think Elmer's is just glue, you're stuck in the past."
That same year, Elmer's decided it was time for a facelift. With redesigned packaging and a new logo, Elmer's unveiled the new and improved look featuring bright orange and blue colours, and a more prominent Elmer, making it "impossible to ignore".
Elmer's top-selling glue brands have made it what it is today -- helping people fulfill their need to create, build and learn while becoming the number one glue supplier in North America.
For more information about Elmer's Products, visit Elmers.
Written by: Silvia Bonechi
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I learned something today.
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