Who Owns ?

Elmer's was introduced in 1947 by Borden Chemical Company, a subsidiary of the Borden dairy conglomerate. The brand was named after Elmer, the husband of Elsie the Cow, Borden's famous corporate mascot. Elmer's white glue was originally marketed as a casin-based adhesive for woodworking and household repairs, but the product found its largest market in schools, where teachers and parents needed a safe, non-toxic adhesive for children.

The iconic orange cap and squeeze bottle design became a classroom staple in the 1960s and 1970s. Elmer's expanded beyond white glue into glue sticks, rubber cement, spray adhesives, and craft glues. The brand introduced Elmer's Glue-All, a stronger all-purpose formulation, and Elmer's School Glue, a washable formula designed specifically for classroom use. By the 1980s, Elmer's had become the dominant school glue brand in the United States, with market share exceeding 50 percent.

In 1995, Borden Chemical was sold to the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). KKR later sold Borden Chemical's consumer products division, including Elmer's, to Jarden Corporation in 2010 for approximately $150 million. Jarden already owned a portfolio of consumer brands including Ball mason jars, Sunbeam, and Coleman.

In 2016, Newell Rubbermaid merged with Jarden Corporation in a deal valued at approximately $15 billion. The combined company, renamed Newell Brands, became one of the largest consumer goods companies in the United States. Elmer's became part of Newell's Learning & Development segment, which also included writing instrument brands like Sharpie and Paper Mate.

Under Newell's ownership, Elmer's has continued to expand its product range. The brand introduced Elmer's Foam Board, Elmer's Craft Bond, and Elmer's Disappearing Purple School Glue, which goes on purple and dries clear to help children see where they have applied glue. Elmer's has also developed slime glue products, capitalizing on the slime-making trend that became popular on social media platforms in the late 2010s.