Back to FAQs What were the original eight (8) colors in the 1903 box of Crayola Crayons? Recognizing a need in schools for safe and affordable wax crayons, Binney & Smith created the first box of eight Crayola Crayons in 1903. Sold for a nickel, this box included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. The original 16 colors are included in the special 152.
1903 saw the release of the first four colors in a 4-pack, Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. The same year, Orange, Purple (Violet), Black, and Brown were added in, sold as an 8-pack. By 1905, the Crayola line had expanded to 38 colors.
You may not be able to see the color column on mobile. Brown color shown above is the current hue used today since 1935. The blue color was changed three times.
What were the original eight 8 colours in the 1903 box of Crayola Crayons? In 1903, we introduced the first box of 8 Crayola Crayons and sold them for a nickel. Included were the same 8 colours that are found in an 8 ‑pack today: red yellow blue green orange brown violet (purple) black. In 1903, we introduced the first box of 8 Crayola Crayons and sold them for a nickel.
Included were the same 8 colors that are found in an 8-pack today: red yellow blue green orange brown violet (purple) black. Though the original 8 crayon colors may seem mundane now, they represented a breakthrough in interactive, developmental toys when first introduced. Crayola ultimately found great success because their crayons fulfilled safety, quality, and affordability needs unmet by competitors.
Here are the Crayola crayon names with historical information. Some of the colors are approximated in RGB using hexadecimal values from Crayola.com. Notes on the table:Italics indicate not in alphabetical order.
8: Eight basic colors that form the 8 pack as of 2015. 16: Eight colors that. From 8 colors in 1903 to 120+ today: explore Crayola's colorful journey, retired favorites, controversies, top 50 colors, and 2025's historic color comeback.
Recognizing a need in schools for safe and affordable wax crayons, Binney & Smith created the first box of eight Crayola Crayons in 1903. Sold for a nickel, this box included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. What were the original eight (8) colors in the 1903 box of Crayola Crayons? Recognizing a need in schools for safe and affordable wax crayons, Binney & Smith created the first box of eight Crayola Crayons in 1903.
Sold for a nickel, this box included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black.