Crayola Colors Timeline
1903
Binney & Smith Co. introduces the first Crayola Crayons. There are 8 colors in a box:
| black | blue | brown |
| green | orange | red |
| violet | yellow |
1949
There are 40 colors added
| apricot | bittersweet | blue green |
| blue violet | brick red | burnt sienna |
| carnation pink | cornflower | flesh1 |
| gold | gray | green blue |
| green yellow | lemon yellow | magenta |
| mahogany | maize | maroon |
| melon | olive green | orange red |
| orange yellow | orchid | periwinkle |
| pine green | Prussian blue2 | red orange |
| red violet | salmon | sea green |
| silver | spring green | tan |
| thistle | turquoise blue | violet blue |
| violet red | white | yellow green |
| yellow orange |
- Name changed to “peach” in 1962.
- Name changed to “midnight blue” in 1958.
There are now 48 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons
1958
There are 16 colors added:
| aquamarine | blue gray | burnt orange |
| cadet blue | copper | forest green |
| goldenrod | Indian red1 | lavender |
| mulberry | navy blue | plum |
| raw sienna | raw umber | sepia |
| sky blue |
- Name changed to “chestnut” in 1999.
There are now 64 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons. For the first time, the big box comes with a built-in sharpener.
In response to educators’ requests, “Prussian blue” is renamed “midnight blue.” Teachers felt that children were no longer familiar enough with Prussian history to recognize that this crayon color referred to the famous deep-blue uniforms of Prussian soldiers.
1962
Partly in response to the civil rights movement, Crayola decides to change the name of the “flesh” crayon to “peach.” Renaming this crayon was a way of recognizing that skin comes in a variety of shades.
1972
There are 8 fluorescent colors added:
| chartreuse | hot magenta | ultra blue |
| ultra green | ultra orange | ultra pink |
| ultra red | ultra yellow |
| atomic tangerine | blizzard blue | hot magenta |
| laser lemon | outrageous orange | screamin’ green |
| shocking pink | wild watermelon |
There are now 72 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons.
1990
There are 16 colors added:
| cerulean | dandelion | electric lime |
| fuchsia | jungle green | magic mint |
| neon carrot | purple pizzazz | radical red |
| razzle dazzle rose | royal purple | sunglow |
| teal blue | unmellow yellow | wild strawberry |
| vivid tangerine |
There are 8 colors retired:
| blue gray | green blue | lemon yellow |
| maize | orange red | orange yellow |
| raw umber | violet blue |
There are now 80 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons.
Crayola felt that the retired colors (and their names) were too dull to appeal to children today.
1993
There are 16 colors added:
| asparagus | cerise | denim |
| granny smith apple | macaroni and cheese | mauvelous |
| pacific blue | purple mountain’s majesty | razzmatazz |
| robin’s egg blue | shamrock | tickle me pink |
| timber wolf | tropical rain forest | tumbleweed |
| wisteria |
There are now 96 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons.
Crayon lovers chose the 16 newest color names through Crayola’s “Name the New Color Contest,” part of the company’s 90th anniversary celebration.
1998
There are 24 colors added:
| almond | antique brass | banana mania |
| beaver | blue bell | brink pink |
| canary | Caribbean green | cotton candy |
| cranberry | desert sand | eggplant |
| fern | fuzzy wuzzy brown | manatee |
| mountain meadow | outer space | pig pink |
| pink flamingo | purple heart | shadow |
| sunset orange | torch red | vivid violet |
There are now 120 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons.
1999
In response to educators’ requests, “Indian red” is renamed “chestnut.” Contrary to popular belief, the original name of this color was not meant to represent the skin color of Native Americans. Instead, the name referred to a reddish pigment from India that was often used in oil paints.
The new name was the winner of a contest that attracted more than 250,000 entries. Other ideas for renaming the color included “crab claw red,” “mars red,” “baseball mitt,” “red clay,” and “old penny.”
2000
Thistle was removed and replaced by indigo; torch red was given a new name, scarlet.
A number of small “specialty sets” of Crayola Crayons are available. These include glitter crayons, pearl brite crayons, and techno-brite crayons.
2003
There are 4 colors added:
| inch worm | jazzberry jam | mango tango |
| wild blue yonder |
And 4 colors are retired:
| blizzard blue | magic mint | mulberry |
| teal blue |
To mark Crayola’s 100th anniversary, crayon users named four new colors and voted out four other shades.
There are now 80 colors in the biggest box of Crayola Crayons.
Crayola felt that the retired colors (and their names) were too dull to appeal to children today.