Crayola crayons are a staple of many childhoods. The iconic boxes with their built-in sharpener have provided color and creativity to children for generations. But just how many different crayon colors are available from Crayola? As one of the most popular and recognizable crayon brands, Crayola offers an impressively large selection of unique crayon colors to choose from. Over the company’s history, they have produced boxes of crayons ranging from just 8 colors up to as many as 200 specialty colors. So how does the number break down and how has it changed over time? Let’s take a closer look at the history and breadth of the Crayola color palette.
The Origins of Crayola Crayons
Crayola was founded in 1885 as Binney & Smith Company. They produced their first crayons in 1903, calling them Crayola chalk. The first Crayola crayon box had just 8 colors: black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow and green. Over the next decades, Binney & Smith continued improving their crayon formulas and expanding the size of their crayon boxes. By 1958, the standard Crayola box contained 64 colors.
The Growth of the Crayola Color Lineup
Since first launching crayons in 1903 with 8 basic colors, Crayola has introduced many new and specialty crayon options over the ensuing decades:
- In 1949, they adopted the Crayola name for their coloring products.
- In 1958, the 64-count Crayola box became their standard box.
- By 1972, Crayola began offering a palette of multicultural crayon skin tones.
- Metallic and glitter crayons first appeared in 1976.
- Neon crayons came next in 1986.
- In 1992, Crayola retired 8 colors from their standard lineup and replaced them with 8 new crayon colors decided by consumers.
- In 1993, Crayola change their boxes from ones with sliding lids to hinged lids with built-in sharpeners.
Beyond new crayon types, Crayola also started offering larger boxes with more specialty colors. This allowed them to vastly expand the number of unique crayon shades they produced.
Current Crayola Crayon Assortment
Today in 2023, Crayola produces many different types and sizes of crayon boxes. However, their current standard and most well-known assortment is the classic box of 64 crayons. Additionally, they offer 120 unique crayon colors across their various specialty boxes. Here is the breakdown of the current Crayola color lineup:
- Standard Box: Contains 64 different colors
- Large/Jumbo Box: Contains 96 different colors
- Metallic FX Box: Contains 24 different metallic colors
- Neon FX Box: Contains 16 high-intensity neon colors
- Pearl FX Box: Contains 24 soft luminescent colors
- Gel FX Box: Contains 14 translucent gel crayon colors
Added together, this comes to a total of 120 officially named and numbered crayon colors currently available from Crayola. However, the 64 classic crayons contained in the standard box remain the core Crayola color offering that most people know and recognize.
The Most Popular Crayola Crayon Colors
With 120 colors to choose from, which Crayola crayon shades are the most popular and beloved? Crayola periodically surveys consumers and here are some of the most highly ranked crayon colors:
| Rank | Crayola Crayon Color |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Purple |
| 3 | Green |
| 4 | Red |
| 5 | Pink |
| 6 | Orange |
| 7 | Yellow |
| 8 | Brown |
| 9 | Black |
| 10 | White |
It’s interesting to note that 7 out of the top 10 most popular Crayola crayon colors are found in the original 1903 Crayola box. This highlights consumers’ ongoing affinity for Crayola’s signature and classic crayon shades.
Special Edition Crayola Colors
In addition to their regular lineup of crayon assortments, Crayola has also released many limited-edition and commemorative colors over the years. These are specialty crayon shades, often tied to a particular event or anniversary. Some notable examples include:
- Indian Red – Released in 1999 to commemorate Crayola’s 100th anniversary
- Purple Heart – Introduced in 2003 to honor military veterans
- Blue Ribbon – Issued in 1997 in support of child abuse prevention
- Sunglow – A bright vivid orange color from 1990
While not considered part of the official 120 Crayola crayon color list, these specialty edition crayons add even more diversity to the expansive Crayola color spectrum.
Retired Crayola Crayon Colors
While Crayola has added many new crayon shades over the decades, they have also discontinued some colors along the way. Since 1903, they have retired over 200 crayon colors from their lineup! Some of the more well-known retired colors include:
- Lemon Yellow
- Orange Yellow
- Green Blue
- Orange Red
- Maize
The most recent colors retired were in 2017 when Crayola replaced the Dandelion and Lemon Yellow crayons with a new blue and a new purple. Retired colors are often replaced to keep boxes sized at optimal quantities. While no longer available, these discontinued colors add to the legacy and mystique of Crayola crayons.
The World of Crayola Crayon Colors
When looking at all currently produced crayons along with special edition and retired colors, Crayola has created hundreds of unique crayon shades over the company’s long history. For most consumers, the iconic 64-count Crayola box represents the pinnacle of crayon colors. But beyond that, there exists a broad spectrum of specialty crayons and rare single-batch colors. All told, Crayola crayons offer an extraordinarily diverse palette of color for artists of all types to express their creativity.
Conclusion
Crayola crayons have brought color and creativity to children and artists for 120 years and counting. While the original 1903 Crayola box boasted just 8 basic crayon colors, the company now produces up to 200 specialty colors. Their standard 64-count box remains the signature Crayola assortment that contains many beloved, classic shades. With continued crayon innovation alongside a massive backlog of retired colors, Crayola provides seemingly endless color possibilities to inspire artistic creation and nostalgia alike.