《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Face-painting pays off for Taiwanese firm

By Jake Chung / Staff writer

Across the world many a supporter rooting for their national team playing in this summer’s FIFA World Cup finals was seen inside a stadium in Brazil or in their local bar with the colors of their national flag on their face, but very few knew that the idea behind the tri-colored stick of crayon used to make the adornment originated in Taiwan.

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The company behind the idea, Lucky Art, is registered in Taiwan and made more than NT$20 million （US$666,800） from the product during this year’s World Cup, selling 3 million tri-colored crayons during each of the past two World Cups, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported earlier this week.

The idea for the tri-colored crayon has enabled the 30-year-old company to successfully make a future for itself on the international market through a traditional industry, the report said.

It is currently the only firm manufacturing crayons in the nation, including normal crayons used by schoolchildren and crayons used for body art, it added.

Lucky Art president Hsu Te-chung （徐德忠） was quoted by the paper as saying that the company’s success has come through hard work and a study of market demand, adding that he has participated in many exhibitions over the past few years in an attempt to promote the company’s products.

“I went abroad 30 times in one year simply to gain an understanding of what consumers wanted,” Hsu was quoted as saying.

Over the years, Hsu said he found that normal crayons were too rough on the skin and the company softened its crayons to cosmetics level for better application and removal.

The firm’s products consist of oil-based and water-based crayons, with more than 300 colors to choose from, Hsu said, adding that the product is easily removable with a tissue or at most with a bit of soap and water.

Hsu was inspired by the soccer fans who paint the colors of their national team on their faces, adding that Halloween and Christmas parties are also occasions when the crayons are widely used, the report said.

The more expensive tri-colored crayons netted the company more than NT$150 million last year, Hsu said, adding that the company has elected to keep its research and development center in Taiwan, while moving its main production lines to China and Vietnam.

The company’s products also include road marker pens used following traffic accidents or other incidents and pens that help cover up scratches and marks on furniture, the report said.

The company’s products are exported to and sold in 32 countries, the report said.

Hsu has also converted an old Lucky Art factory into a tourism factory, drawing more than 150,000 visitors last year.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES