Why Crayola's New Crayon Colors Are So Important

Crayola Crayons were first launched in 1903, bringing a new sense of joy to coloring. Over the past century, the company has launched a wide array of colors and different products, but their latest launch might be the most important. On the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, Crayola announced their new product line, Colors of the World crayons, which includes 24 specifically-formulated colors to represent a diverse range of skin tones. The company announced in a press release that the idea came from wanting kids of various races, cultures, and ethnicities to be able to accurately color people to look like them.

Crayola CEO, Rich Wuethele said, "With the world growing more diverse than ever before, Crayola hopes our new Colors of the World crayons will increase representation and foster a greater sense of belonging and acceptance. We want the new Colors of the World crayons to advance inclusion within creativity and impact how kids express themselves."

The box features a side panel with the color names, which are realistic skin tones such as Light Golden, Deepest Almond, and Very Light Rose, in English, Spanish and French.

In order to create realistic colors that represent a variety of crayon users, Crayola collaborated with the former chief chemist at MAC Cosmetics and the current CEO of MOB Beauty, Victor Casale, to create the shades. The development of the colors took over eight months.

"I have spent my life trying to create truly global shade palettes because I know what it's like to be with a person who has finally found their exact match. They feel included and recognized, and I am hoping every child who uses these crayons and finds their shade will have that feeling," Casale said. "Growing up, I remember mixing the pink and dark brown crayons to try and make my shade, so I was thrilled when Crayola asked for my help to create the Colors of the World crayons."

The 24-count box will hit the shelves in July. Additionally, Crayola is releasing an exclusive 32-count box of The Colors of the World crayons at Walmart stores and online. The additional crayons include four hair colors and four eye color options.