March 31 is National Crayon Day — celebrate with Crayola's 'unretired' colors

Yahoo

28-03-2025

Happy National Crayon Day! This creative holiday is celebrated annually on March 31, and as you might expect, it's a tribute to the beloved (but easily breakable, right?) staple of arts and craft supply closets everywhere. Crayons have been bringing joy into our lives since childhood, and Crayola decided to make things even more nostalgic this year.
The colorful history of National Crayon Day
Although the official origins of National Crayon Day are unknown, Crayola has actively participated in the holiday celebrations over the years. And why wouldn't they? The company, which was founded in 1903 with a simple lineup of 8 classic colors, has been synonymous with crayons (and creativity) for generations.
Over the years, Crayola has used this holiday to retire hues, as well as to introduce new shades. In 2017, the company officially retired the dandelion crayon, which apparently led to an outpouring of fan requests to bring it back.
Well – Dandelion lovers, rejoice – because Crayola listened. They're bringing 8 popular colors out of retirement to celebrate National Crayon Day.
For the first time in 120 years, they're reintroducing special edition boxes with 8 previously retired colors – including not one but two fun shades of yellow. The returning colors in this limited release are:
Dandelion: As mentioned, this sunny yellow hue was retired in 2017, but makes a cheerful return.
Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint, and Mulberry: These shades were retired in 2003 and are now back to inspire new creations.
Orange Red, Violet Blue, Lemon Yellow, Raw Umber: Absent since 1990, these classic colors are making a comeback after 35 years.​ (We're excited that we're not alone in our pining for the return of Raw Umber!)
If you've had the blues without Blizzard Blue, you can find these boxes at your usual school-supply retailers, like Michaels, Staples, and so on. They also come in colored pencils or markers but let's try to focus on crayons here people, it's their holiday!
How you can celebrate National Crayon Day
National Crayon Day serves as a reminder of the simple joy that coloring can bring to people of all ages. Here are some ways to celebrate:​
Host a coloring party: Gather your friends or family for a creativity session, sharing stories and enjoying the therapeutic benefits of art. Thanks to the popularity of adult coloring books, you'll have no problem finding the perfect page for you.​
Revisit your childhood favorites: Use the reintroduced Crayola colors to recreate art from your youth, or embark on a new creative project.
Explore new techniques: Experiment with different ways of blending, shading, and layering to discover new dimensions in your artwork; you can also experiment with using different mediums – newspaper, cardboard, wrapping paper – to see what comes up. Don't make it too precious – just have fun.
As you celebrate National Crayon Day, try to embrace your nostalgia and the simple creativity that crayons can inspire. Look, you just made the world a more colorful place!