Buzz
In 1903, cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith launched their first eight Crayola crayons. Since then, both the world and the names of their colorful creations have evolved.
Reflecting changing societal values, the company behind these classic crayons swapped out the original names for titles that were more universally appealing—but just as vibrant.
Peach
The civil rights movement had a significant influence on Crayola's palette of colors. In 1962, Crayola made the proactive decision to change 'Flesh' to 'Peach' in order to avoid potential legal issues and encourage artists everywhere to add more diversity to their drawings.
Prussian Blue
The Kingdom of Prussia (encompassing parts of modern-day Germany, Poland, and Russia) existed as an independent state from 1701 to 1871. Unfortunately, the crayon named 'Prussian Blue' had a much shorter reign in the color kingdom.
First introduced in 1949, Prussian Blue was among 39 new colors, but it was quickly removed from the collection in 1958. Many theories attempt to explain its removal—some suggest young children simply didn’t understand (or care about) Prussia, while others link it to the growing tensions of the Cold War. Crayola rebranded the color as Midnight Blue, likely in hopes of making it more universally recognizable—and less associated with the Iron Curtain.
Indian Red
This crayon was launched in 1958, along with 15 other new shades, bringing the total to 64 colors for children to enjoy. It was named after a pigment that originated in India. Over time, however, educators became concerned that children might associate the color with the skin tone of Native Americans.
In 1999, Crayola rebranded the color as Chestnut, though this change came with a cautionary note. The company warned that these chestnuts should never be roasted over an open flame, as they begin to soften and melt at just 105°F.
Blue Gray, Green Blue, Lemon Yellow, Maize, Orange Red, Orange Yellow, Raw Umber, and Violet Blue
The first official retirement of colors at Crayola occurred in 1990. The old-timers—Blue Gray, Green Blue, Lemon Yellow, Maize, Orange Red, Orange Yellow, Raw Umber, and Violet Blue—were all retired, making way for newer, more vibrant shades like Cerulean, Fuchsia, and Dandelion, which were believed to be bolder and more fun for kids to use (and perhaps a bit more competitive for Scrabble!).
Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint, Teal Blue, and Mulberry
To mark Crayola's 100th anniversary in 2003, the company invited customers to propose new crayon names and vote to retire four existing colors. The unlucky shades that were sent into Crayola retirement included newer colors like Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint, and Teal Blue, along with the more classic Mulberry. These four were replaced by fresh, imaginative options such as Inch Worm, Jazzberry Jam, Mango Tango, and Wild Blue Yonder—highlighting that letting kindergarteners have a say in your product lineup might not always lead to the best results.
