Crayola crayons come in a wide variety of colors, allowing artists young and old to express their creativity. Red is a primary color and one of the most popular crayon shades. But Crayola doesn’t just offer one red – there are actually numerous shades of red crayons to choose from. So exactly how many shades of red Crayola crayons are available?
A Brief History of Crayola Crayons
Crayola, originally known as Binney & Smith, produced their first crayons in 1903. The box of eight crayons was sold for just a nickel and included red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black, and brown. Over the next few decades, Binney & Smith expanded their crayon color palette dramatically. By 1958, the Crayola lineup had grown to 64 colors.
The company released their first boxes with multicultural crayon names in 1962. They debuted fluorescent crayons in the 1970s and pearl and glitter crayons in the 1990s. In 1996, Crayola held the “Name the New Colors Contest” asking fans to christen their new crayon colors. Today, with over 100 crayon colors available, Crayola offers plenty of shades to spark any artist’s creativity.
Primary Colors
Red, blue, and yellow are known as the three primary colors. All other colors can be created by mixing together these three basic hues. When it comes to Crayola crayons, red is one of the original colors that has been around since the first boxes were produced in 1903.
Over the decades, Crayola didn’t just offer one red crayon. They developed numerous shades of red to accommodate different art projects and visual effects. While the number of distinct reds has varied over the years, Crayola currently produces 14 official shades of red crayon.
Current Shades of Red Crayons
Here are the 14 shades of red Crayola crayons widely available today:
| Bittersweet | Mahogany |
| Brick Red | Maroon |
| Carnation Pink | Red |
| Red Orange | Red Violet |
| Scarlet | True Red |
| Shocking Pink | Wild Strawberry |
This collection provides a spectrum ranging from pinkish reds up through true, primary red and into deeper burgundy shades. Artists can mix and match these various reds to create additional custom tones.
Unique and Retired Reds
In addition to the 14 current red crayon choices, Crayola has produced many more limited edition and retired shades of red over the brand’s long history. Here are some of the unique red crayon colors that have come and gone:
- Atomic Tangerine – Retired in 1990
- Beaver – Retired in 1935
- Blood Red – Only available from 1993-1995 as part of the Magic Scent crayon line
- Blush – Retired in 1990
- Brick Red – Retired in 1958
- Burnt Orange – Retired in 1935
- Chestnut – Retired in 1962
- Copper – Retired in 1957
- Flamingo Pink – Retired in 1997
- Flesh – Retired in 1962
- Indian Red – Retired in 1990
- Madder Lake – Retired in 2000
- Middle Red – Retired in 1997
- Orange-Red – Retired in 1990
- Outrageous Orange – Retired in 2017
- Permanent Geranium Lake – Retired in 2000
- Radical Red – Retired in 1990
- Razzle Dazzle Rose – Retired in 1990
- Razzmatazz – Retired in 1993
- Red – Renamed in 1958
- Red-Orange – Retired in 1993
- Red-Violet – Retired in 1997
- Rose Pink – Retired in 1997
- Scarlet – Retired in 1997
- Shocking Pink – Retired in 1990
- Torch Red – Retired in 1990
- Tropical Rain Forest – Retired in 1993
- Vivid Tangerine – Renamed “Sunglow” in 1990
- Vivid Violet – Retired in 1990
- Wild Strawberry – Retired in 1990
As Crayola has released special edition and variety value packs over the years, even more red crayon shades have existed for limited runs. Needless to say, Crayola has produced many more red crayons than the 14 available today.
International Shades
Crayola crayons are popular around the world, not just in the United States. Many other countries produce their own unique crayon color assortments. Crayola crayons tailored to specific international markets contain different shades than the classic version found in American stores. For example, ruby red and tomato red are two Australian exclusive crayon colors. Canada has a shade called Chilli Pepper Red. Other international exclusives like Vivid Red, Brilliant Red, and Big Red round out even more red choices for global artists.
Specialty Lines
Beyond the classic crayon offerings, Crayola has created many specialty crayon sets over the years. These lines like Metallic FX, Pearl Brite, Neon, and more contain new and unique takes on favorite colors, including red. Metallics like Copper Penny and Gold Fusion add a shiny, iridescent sheen. Neons like Laser Lemon and Atomic Orange dial up the brightness. Reds get reinvented through these creative extensions of the core crayon lineup.
Other Red Media
In addition to crayons, Crayola produces many other types of art supplies spanning different media. Markers, colored pencils, and paint each come in their own arrays of shades. Reds are a staple color across all these product lines. From Crimson Lake watercolor paint to Scarlet colored pencil, even more red color varieties exist beyond crayons alone.
DIY Color Mixing
One of the best parts of coloring is experimenting with different color combinations. By layering and blending various hues, young artists can become inventors of their own customized color palettes. Mixing red with other crayon shades produces an exponential rainbow of coloring possibilities. Adding white makes pinks of any shade, while black darkens down to burgundy and maroon. Combining primary colors together yields extra secondary colors to complete any coloring canvas.
How Many Reds Are There?
So exactly how many different shades of red Crayola crayons exist across all product lines, both past and present? The tally is likely in the hundreds when counting all the unique, specialty, and retired colors over the brand’s 120 year history. While Crayola currently offers 14 shades of red crayon, their full red archive is exponentially bigger.
The wide spectrum of reds allows limitless creativity and expression. Vivid, primary reds bring energy, while pinkish reds offer softer contrast. Dark maroons and burgundies lend sophistication. Reds of any intensity make bold statements. With so many shades to choose from, red crayons will continue inspiring artistic magic for generations to come.