Crayola, the popular crayon company, has been making crayons in a variety of colors since 1903. However, it took until 1962 for Crayola to introduce a crayon specifically called “Flesh” that was meant to represent human skin colors. The story of Crayola’s “Flesh” crayon illustrates how concepts of race and skin color have evolved over the decades in American culture.
The Origins of Crayola Crayons
Crayola was founded in 1903 as Binney & Smith by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith in Easton, Pennsylvania. The company began by making colorants used in pigments and carbon black. Their first crayon product, released in 1903, was the Crayola No. 8 box with 8 colors: black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, and green.
Early Crayola crayon boxes had a color specifically called “Flesh,” which was a light peach color. It first appeared in Crayola’s No. 52 box, released in 1914 with 12 crayons. The No. 52 box also included black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, gray, pink and white crayons.
The Evolution of “Flesh” to “Peach”
The “Flesh” crayon remained in Crayola’s selection through the 1940s and 1950s. However, in the early 1960s, Crayola decided to change the name to “Peach” along with slight color adjustments.
In 1962, Crayola released the No. 64 box with the new name of “Peach.” This was part of Crayola’s attempt to rename or update colors to match modern sensitivities. Other color name changes at the time included switching “Prussian Blue” to midnight blue and “Flesh Tint” to “Pink Beige.”
Here is a comparison of the original Flesh color and the new Peach color introduced in 1962:
| Year | Crayon Name | Color |
|---|---|---|
| 1914-1962 | Flesh | |
| 1962 | Peach |
As the table shows, the new Peach color was slightly more orange and darker than the previous Flesh tone.
Multicultural “Flesh” Crayons
In 1972, Crayola introduced a new 8-crayon box called “Multicultural Crayons” that contained crayons labeled black, sepia, white, red, yellow, burnt sienna, tan, and “flesh.” This was an early attempt to provide crayons representing a variety of skin tones.
However, the “flesh” crayon was still the same light peach color previously called peach. Having this one light “flesh” tone along with the “Multicultural” crayon set drew some criticism for not fully representing the diversity of human skin colors.
New “Skin Tone” Crayons
In 1992, after decades of criticism over the lack of accurate skin tone colors, Crayola decided to introduce a new line of crayons specifically for drawing people with different skin tones.
This new line contained eight colors with the descriptive names: black, sepia, burnt sienna, mahogany, peach, apricot, white, tan.
Crayola avoided using the term “flesh” and instead labeled the crayon wrappers with the phrase “Skin Tone” along with the specific color name. The colors were developed in partnership with Victor Joseph, creator of Ebony Skin Tones, to provide accurate and respectful representations.
Here are the 8 skin tone crayons Crayola debuted in 1992:
| Crayon Name | Color |
|---|---|
| Black | |
| Sepia | |
| Burnt Sienna | |
| Mahogany | |
| Peach | |
| Apricot | |
| White | |
| Tan |
This was an important step by Crayola to provide more diverse and realistic crayon colors for drawing people of different races and ethnicities.
Crayola “Multicultural” Crayons
In 1994, Crayola built upon their earlier “Multicultural” crayon set by releasing a new 30-count “Multicultural Crayons” box. This expanded set contained three new crayons specifically labeled “Skin” in three different tones – peach, tan, and brown.
The three Skin crayons were different than the existing Peach, Tan, and Brown crayons. The new Peach Skin tone was brighter and more orange compared to the Peach color. Here is a comparison:
| Crayon | Color |
|---|---|
| Peach | |
| Peach Skin |
In 1999, Crayola renamed the “Multicultural” set as “Colors of the World.” This box has undergone some new color names and additions over the years but continues to provide a diverse array of skin tone shades.
The Crayola “Colors of the World” Crayons
In 2020, Crayola released their latest and most inclusive skin tone crayon set to date: “Colors of the World.” This set contains 24 new crayons with realistic and vibrant shades for coloring people globally.
Some of the new color names include Light Golden, Deep Almond, Medium Deep Rose, and Very Light Apricot. The wrappers also specify the skin tone name and include a color swatch guide.
Here are some examples of the Colors of the World crayon shades:
| Crayon Name | Color |
|---|---|
| Light Rose | |
| Medium Light Rose | |
| Golden | |
| Deepest Almond | |
| Very Light Apricot |
Crayola worked with Victor Joseph again along with cultural consultants to ensure authentic and accurate skin tone shades.
Conclusion
Crayola’s skin tone and multicultural crayons have come a long way since the days of the “Flesh” crayon representing one light peach shade for all skin colors. Through cultural changes and feedback over many decades, Crayola has steadily improved their products to reflect diverse skin tones through thoughtfully named and formulated crayon colors.
While there is still room for more growth and representation, Crayola’s commitment to providing realistic “colors of the world” shows how companies can evolve to better represent the multicultural people who use their products.