Crayola crayons hold a special place in many people’s childhood memories. Since the first Crayola crayons were produced in 1903, the company has introduced many new crayon colors, shapes, and product lines over the years. But just how many different crayons have Crayola created in their 100+ year history? Let’s take a look at the evolution of Crayola crayons to get an estimate of the grand total produced so far.
The Origins of Crayola Crayons
Crayola crayons were first introduced in 1903 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. Their company, Binney & Smith, produced the first Crayola crayons box with just 8 colors – black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet and yellow. The Crayola brand name was coined by combining the French word “craie” (meaning chalk) and “ola” from “oleaginous” (meaning oily). This referred to the unique chalk and oil-based formula that Binney & Smith used to produce smooth, vivid crayons unlike the crumbly pastels available at the time.
The iconic Crayola gold and green cylindrical boxes made their debut in 1905. The following year in 1906, Binney & Smith debuted their No. 52 box with 30 different Crayola crayon colors. This original color palette included shades like gold, silver, copper, azure blue, magenta, pink, violet red, yellow orange and more.
The Growth of Crayola’s Crayon Color Palette
Crayola steadily introduced more and more crayon colors throughout the first half of the 1900s. By the 1920s, Crayola was producing packs with up to 50 different colors. In 1926, Crayola released their No. 52 Assorted Colors box that soon became their flagship product containing 48 crayon shades.
Some of Crayola’s new crayon colors from this period included carnation pink, cornflower, green yellow, mahogany, raw umber and more. Binney & Smith also experimented with fluorescent crayons in the 1930s, although these were short-lived.
In 1949, Crayola retired 8 of their original 1903 crayon colors and replaced them with more modern alternatives: lemon yellow, blue gray, orange red, orange yellow, violet blue, red orange, yellow green and blue violet. This expanded the No. 52 box to contain 50 distinct crayon shades.
The 64 Box and Beyond
In 1958, Crayola released their biggest crayon assortment yet – the No. 64 box with 64 different colors. New color additions for this set included blue bell, macaroni and cheese, magic mint, timberwolf and more. This 64 count box became Crayola’s flagship product for decades to come.
Crayola continued expanding their crayon lineup over the following years:
| 1972 | First fluorescent crayons added |
| 1990 | The 96 box introduced with 96 colors |
| 1993 | The 100th crayon color “Dandelion” unveiled |
| 1996 | The 100 box released for Crayola’s 100th anniversary |
| 1998 | The “Multicultural” box with 8 crayons representing various skin tones debuts |
In 2003, Crayola released a 120 color box to celebrate their 100th anniversary. This lineup included retired classics like blizzard blue, magic mint and raw umber alongside new shades like mango tango, wild watermelon and inchworm.
The 150 crayon box debuted in 2004 for Crayola’s back-to-school product lineup. New color names like screamin’ green, outer space, fuzzy wuzzy and tropical rain forest were added.
Specialty and Limited Edition Crayons
Beyond their classic boxed crayon sets, Crayola has produced many specialty crayons over the years:
– Neon crayons – Available in the 1980s and 1990s in colors like hot pink, electric lime and outrageous orange.
– Pearl and glitter crayons – Shimmery, pearlescent colors first introduced in 1994.
– Scented crayons – Fruit and candy-scented options like bubble gum and cotton candy debuted in 1994.
– Color Mix-Up crayons – Marbled, two-tone crayons that blended multiple shades. Sold from 1997 to 2002.
– Changeables crayons – Heat-sensitive crayons that changed color when warmed by touch. Launched in 1999.
– Glow-in-the-dark crayons – Introduced in 2003, these glowed for up to 30 minutes after being charged by light.
– True to Life crayons – Launched in 2007, designed to accurately represent common colors like human skin tones, green grass, blue sky, etc.
– Fabric crayons – Special washable crayons made for coloring on fabric and clothing, released in 2007.
– Crayons with glitter – Gold and silver glitter crayon assortments released in 2009.
– Flavored crayons – Sweat-scented tropical twist crayons released in 2011 for a limited time.
– Metallic FX crayons – Formulated to give a chrome-like metallic shine when used. Debuted in 2014.
– Crayon Rocks – Crayons molded into unique guitar, shark and robot shapes. Launched in 2020.
The Current Crayola Lineup
As of 2023, Crayola produces over 100 different types of crayons in a variety of color assortments, boxes, barrels and more. Some of their most popular options today include:
– Classic crayons – Iconic boxes like the 24 count, 64 count and 152 count.
– Twistables crayons – Twist-up crayons so no sharpening required. 18, 24 and 30 count boxes.
– Large/Jumbo crayons – Thicker than classic crayons, makes coloring easier for little hands. 8, 12 and 16 count boxes.
– Colored pencils – Available in classroom packs, 50, 72 and 100 count sets.
– Washable crayons – Easy to remove from skin, walls, carpets, clothes and more. 16, 24 and 50 count options.
– Construction paper crayons – Triangle-shaped crayons designed not to roll away. 8 classic colors.
– Watercolor crayons – Broad chisel-tip crayons that smoothly apply vivid watercolor. 24 colors.
– Scribble Scrubbie washable crayons – Draw on the included washable playmat, then scrub the crayon away with a wet cloth. 8 colors.
– Silly Scents twist-up crayons – 8 scented crayons in banana, bubble gum, cherry and more.
So while it’s difficult to pin down an exact number given all the specialty and limited edition crayons, it’s clear Crayola has produced hundreds of unique crayon colors over their 100+ year history! Conservative estimates put the total number of distinct Crayola crayon shades created to date in the range of 500-1000.
The Most Popular Crayola Crayon Colors
Out of the vast spectrum of crayon shades Crayola has introduced over the decades, a few stand out as the most popular and highly produced:
– Red – Vivid red has been in Crayola’s core lineup from the very beginning. Indispensable for drawing fire trucks, apples, hearts and more.
– Blue – Cool blue is included in every Crayola assortment and is essential for coloring the sky, water, superheroes’ capes, and beyond.
– Green – Whether olive, forest, lime or teal, green crayons let kids color trees, dragons, alien faces and more.
– Yellow – Warm, sunny yellow is in every Crayola box for coloring sunshine, flowers, lemons, rubber ducks and more.
– Orange – Vibrant orange crayons are perfect for pumpkins, tigers, construction cones, copper pennies and other bright subjects.
– Brown – Rich brown brings tree trunks, teddy bears, chocolate, puppies and other subjects to life.
– Purple – Regal purple, lilac and violet crayons color imaginary unicorns, crystal balls, magic wands and other whimsical items.
– Pink – Soft pink lends itself well to coloring princesses, ballerinas, flowers, birthday cards and more.
– Black – Sleek black crayons handle outlining, drawing tires, Batman’s costume, shadows and silhouettes.
– White – Crisp white crayons add highlights, finish coloring book pages, and create snowflakes.
As Crayola’s flagship crayon colors, millions upon millions of these shades have been produced over the past century.
Crayola’s Impact on American Culture
Crayola crayons hold an iconic status as part of American childhood and culture. Since their debut in 1903, Crayola estimates they have produced enough crayons to circle the globe multiple times!
With over 3 billion Crayola crayons made annually, the average American child wears down 730 crayons by age 10. That’s a lot of coloring books filled in, art projects created, and imagination put to work.
The Crayola brand has built customer loyalty across generations who pass on their nostalgic memories of coloring with Crayola crayons just like their parents did. Crayola’s crayon color names like macaroni and cheese, beaver, burnt sienna and laser lemonade have become a memorable part of the American lexicon as well.
While the exact number produced to date may be indefinite, one thing is certain – Crayola crayons have colored their way into the hands, hearts and imaginations of millions of American children over the past century. The iconic brand continues inspiring creativity and playtime today just as they have for over 100 years.
Conclusion
Crayola has produced an impressive spectrum of crayon colors since first launching their iconic boxes in 1903. While new specialty crayons are introduced every year, Crayola’s core lineup showcases the classics that generations of kids know and love. Although an exact count is elusive, reasonable estimates indicate Crayola has created between 500-1,000 distinct crayon shades to date. Whatever the final tally, Crayola crayons hold a cherished place in Americana and continue bringing color and joy to childhood today just as they have for over a century.
