Prismacolor has been passed around twice. It was originally founded in 1938. It is currently subsidized by Newell Brands. The original company was called Berol. It was founded in the 1800s in the Yonkers, New York in John Street. As Berol, they produced pens and pencils. As the years passed, the company changed its products. Eventually, the owners were not able to work with the costs of managing such a large company. After many ups and downs, it became Prismacolor. The company is best known for its colored pencils. They are one of its best selling items. People tend to microwave these pencils to make the cold lead less brittle. Aside from pencils, Prismacolor makes markers and charcoal pencils.