Crayons By Linda Stowe
Not long ago I watched a brief and entertaining video about Crayola crayons called “Banned Crayon Color Names.” Whether your parents bought you the economical 8-pack or splurged on the gargantuan 200-crayon box (complete with crayon sharpener), those little sticks of colored wax have a rich history.
The Crayola company started business in 1903 and offered the 8-count box containing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown and black crayons. It cost a nickel. As time went on, colors were added as larger boxes were marketed. Things went smoothly until the Cold War of the ’50s. Teachers were concerned that the crayon bearing the name “Prussian Blue,” so-named for the blue of the Prussian soldiers’ uniforms, was sending the wrong message as most of the former Prussia was gobbled up by Communist countries following WW II. To accommodate their concern, the company changed the color name to “Midnight Blue” in 1958.
Another cultural shift occurred in the early ’60s when university professor and early childhood education expert June Moss Handler published a paper, “An Attempt to Change Kindergarten Children’s Attitudes of Prejudice,” in which she asserted that the Crayola crayon called “Flesh” was sending the wrong message. She pointed out that human flesh comes in many hues, from alabaster to ebony. One crayon could not do such a range justice. The company agreed and changed the crayon’s name to “Peach” in 1962. Years later, it produced a special Colors of the World box containing 32 colors, representing a spectrum of flesh tones.
In 1999 the crayon formerly known as “Indian Red” was renamed “Chestnut.” The crayon was originally named to honor the color red, which is quite significant in many cultures of India. However American schoolchildren mistook the “Indian” in the name to refer to Native Americans, so the company changed the name.
Over time many color namess have been retired, probably because they came across as too mild. Color names such as Light Blue, Brilliant Rose and Lemon Yellow were retired. They were replaced with more upbeat color names like Vivid Tangerine, Purple Pizzazz, and Electric Lime. They even have glitter crayons now.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve owned a box of Crayola crayons, but I can still remember their wonderful smell.
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Polly here.
Oh, those good old crayons. How interesting it is to hear of all these name changes and the reasons behind them.
I can understand the reasons behind some of these naming turns in the crayon box. But others seem a little silly. Light blue seems like a good name. And lemon yellow? C’mon. It doesn’t get any better than that.
But what about coloring? Do any of us still color? When we were kids, drawing and coloring felt natural. It was just a true part of our little lives. Like breathing.
We didn’t care if our houses floated in the air or our dogs had purple fur. It was about sheer joy and imagination. We didn’t think about accuracy or talent levels.
But somewhere along the way, many people quit. I think it might be because the world starts grading us. There were teachers with red pens and our friends who could draw better than we could. Maybe, more than anything, adults were often reminding us that it was time to “grow up.”
Over time, we lose the magic that we knew as children. As adults, we moved our beliefs over to the idea that art has to be “good” to be worth doing.
The simple act of coloring and drawing gets replaced with to-do lists, jobs, and responsibilities. What was once loving playfulness becomes something we think requires talent or permission.
So the crayons get left behind in childhood. And this is sad.
I used to love to color with my crayons. From the littlest box to the Big 64. And truth be told, to this very day, I still do.
