The Spoils

120 Shades of Fun

Which Crayola hues are no longer in production? 

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Crayola crayons

These days, kids do more swiping and streaming than swinging and sliding. According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of children eight and younger have their own tablet, compared to 1 percent just seven years ago.

Technology may be transforming playtime, but there's one pastime that-unlike a first-generation app-will never be outmoded: coloring.

"I think most adults still remember drawing their first purple hippopotamus. There's something magical about bringing a child's imagination to life," says Crayola marketing assistant Victoria Prybyl, SOC/BA '16. "Crayola crayons never go out of style."

Founded in 1885 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith, the company debuted the wax crayon in 1903, offering an eight-pack for a nickel. (More than a century later, the original lineup-black, brown, violet, blue, green, red, orange, and yellow-remains unchanged.) Today, Crayola, based in Easton, Pennsylvania, churns out 3 billion crayons annually-or 12 million per day. The company produces 120 different shades, from red violet to violet red (yes, there's a difference), along with markers, colored pencils, scented stampers, sidewalk chalk, paint, clay, and other art supplies.

Prybyl works at the Crayola Experience in Orlando, Florida-a 70,000-square-foot artistic amusement park, where visitors can create wax art, digitize their doodles, and more. The company will open its fourth Experience this spring in Plano, Texas.

Prybyl says watching little digital natives swap their iPads for Cyber Grape crayons never gets old. "I love walking through the attraction and watching families engaging with each other through creativity. Every day at work is a colorful experience."

Crayon Wonks: Correctly answer the trivia question below and enter to win $75 worth of Crayola supplies for yourself, your kiddo, or your favorite teacher.

In 2017, Dandelion became the 50th crayon inducted into the Crayola Hall of Fame. Which among the following is not among Crayola's retirees?

A) Cerulean Blue

B) Indian Red

C) Magic Mint

D) Mulberry